Which to use
“vá” is an intj and “vão” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #1,517
- “vá” frequency rank
- #253
- “vão” frequency rank
- 1770
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | vá | vão |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | para indicar moderação, para prevenir de não provocar dano | vazio |
Where the eye mixes vá and vão
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Look-alike desk: vá vs vão
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: vá is /ˈva/ while vão is /ˈvɐ̃w̃/ [ˈvɐ̃ʊ̯̃]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (intj vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 1770, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
vá is recorded at frequency rank #1,517, classified as anintj, pronounced /ˈva/. vão is at rank #253, tagged as anadj, pronounced /ˈvɐ̃w̃/ [ˈvɐ̃ʊ̯̃].
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 1770, this pair ranks #73,734 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of vá vs vão
Shared letters: v. Private to "vá": á. Private to "vão": oã.
"vá" · 2 letters · shape CV · "vão" · 3 letters · shape CVV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "vá" for "vão" ever safe?
In ordinary Portuguese text, does "vá" or "vão" show up more?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "vá" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "vão" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #73,734 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "vá" and "vão" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "vão vs velo". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #73,734 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.