Which to use
“vil” is an adjective and “vin” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #23,730
- “vil” frequency rank
- #1,383
- “vin” frequency rank
- 25113
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | vil | vin |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Qui est bas, abject, méprisable. | Boisson alcoolique obtenue par fermentation du jus de raisin et connue depuis plusieurs millénaires. |
Where the eye mixes vil and vin
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses vil with vin
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: vil is \vil\ while vin is \vɛ̃\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - l in “vil” becomes n in “vin”, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 25113, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
vil is recorded at frequency rank #23,730, classified as anadj, pronounced \vil\. vin is at rank #1,383, tagged as anoun, pronounced \vɛ̃\.
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 25113, this pair ranks #342,732 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of vil vs vin
Shared letters: iv. Private to "vil": l. Private to "vin": n.
"vil" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "vin" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "vil" and "vin" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary French text, does "vil" or "vin" show up more?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "vil" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "vin" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #342,732 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "vil" and "vin" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "vil vs viv". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #342,732 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.