Which to use
“vilain” is an adjective and “vivait” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #10,607
- “vilain” frequency rank
- #6,255
- “vivait” frequency rank
- 16862
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | vilain | vivait |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Qui déplaît à la vue. | Troisième personne du singulier de l’imparfait de vivre. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set vilain and vivait apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: vilain is \vi.lɛ̃\ while vivait is \vi.vɛ\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 16862, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
vilain is recorded at frequency rank #10,607, classified as anadj, pronounced \vi.lɛ̃\. vivait is at rank #6,255, tagged as averb, pronounced \vi.vɛ\.
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 16862, this pair ranks #385,914 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of vilain vs vivait
Shared letters: aiv. Private to "vilain": ln. Private to "vivait": t.
"vilain" · 6 letters · shape CVCVVC · "vivait" · 6 letters · shape CVCVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "vilain" and "vivait" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "vilain" or "vivait"?
Remembering vilain vs vivait
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “vilain”; for a verb, it's “vivait”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “vilain” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable