vácuovsvazioWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“vácuo” and “vazio” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#9,280
“vácuo” frequency rank
#2,811
“vazio” frequency rank
12091
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature vácuo vazio
Definition vazio que não contém nada; que não está com seu conteúdo habitual

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set vácuo and vazio apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
vácuo
5 ch
vazio

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. vácuo (/ˈva.kwu/) and vazio (/vɐ.ˈzi.u/) 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 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 12091, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

vácuo is recorded at frequency rank #9,280, classified as anadj, pronounced /ˈva.kwu/. vazio is at rank #2,811, tagged as anadj, pronounced /vɐ.ˈzi.u/.

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 12091, this pair ranks #60,615 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of vácuo vs vazio

Shared letters: ov. Private to "vácuo": cuá. Private to "vazio": aiz.

"vácuo" · 5 letters · shape CVCVV  ·  "vazio" · 5 letters · shape CVCVV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • vazioavzio · vaizo · vazoi · vazzio · vvazio · vzaio

Frequency comparison

vácuo#9,280
vazio#2,811

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "vácuo" and "vazio" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (/ˈva.kwu/ versus /vɐ.ˈzi.u/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "vácuo" or "vazio"?
"vazio" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,811 in our Portuguese list, against #9,280 for "vácuo". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering vácuo vs vazio

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 “vácuo” 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