vicesvsViperWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“vices” and “Viper” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#16,506
“vices” frequency rank
#44,257
“Viper” frequency rank
60763
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature vices Viper
Definition Pluriel de vice. Vipère.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set vices and Viper apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
vices
5 ch
Viper

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. vices (\visəz\) and Viper (\ˈviːpɐ\) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 60763, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

vices is recorded at frequency rank #16,506, classified as anoun, pronounced \visəz\. Viper is at rank #44,257, tagged as anoun, pronounced \ˈviːpɐ\.

Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.

With a confusion score of 60763, this pair ranks #95,893 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of vices vs Viper

Shared letters: eiv. Private to "vices": cs. Private to "Viper": pr.

"vices" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "Viper" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • vicesivces · vcies · vicces · vicess · vicse · viecs · vvices
  • Viperivper · viepr · viperr · vipper · vipre · vpier · vviper

Frequency comparison

vices#16,506
Viper#44,257

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "vices" and "Viper" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\visəz\ versus \ˈviːpɐ\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "vices" or "Viper"?
"vices" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #16,506 in our French list, against #44,257 for "Viper". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering vices vs Viper

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “vices” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list