vácuovsvícioWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: vácuo is a adjective, vício is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“vácuo” is an adjective and “vício” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#9,280
“vácuo” frequency rank
#7,235
“vício” frequency rank
16515
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature vácuo vício
Definition vazio defeito

Where the spellings diverge

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

5 ch
vácuo
5 ch
vício

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: vácuo is /ˈva.kwu/ while vício is /ˈvi.sju/. 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 noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 16515, 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/. vício is at rank #7,235, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈvi.sju/.

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 16515, this pair ranks #54,990 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of vácuo vs vício

Shared letters: cov. Private to "vácuo": . Private to "vício": .

"vácuo" · 5 letters · shape CVCVV  ·  "vício" · 5 letters · shape CVCVV

Frequency comparison

vácuo#9,280
vício#7,235

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "vácuo" and "vício" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "vácuo" is an adjective and "vício" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "vácuo" or "vício"?
"vício" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #7,235 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 vício

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “vácuo”; for a noun, it's “vício”.
  • 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list