Which to use
“vai” and “vil” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #49
- “vai” frequency rank
- #26,593
- “vil” frequency rank
- 26642
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | vai | vil |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | relativo aos vais | reles |
Where the eye mixes vai and vil
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses vai with vil
A purely visual mix-up. vai (/ˈvaj/) and vil (/ˈviɫ/) 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 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 26642, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
vai is recorded at frequency rank #49, classified as anadj, pronounced /ˈvaj/. vil is at rank #26,593, tagged as anadj, pronounced /ˈviɫ/.
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 26642, this pair ranks #42,465 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of vai vs vil
Shared letters: iv. Private to "vai": a. Private to "vil": l.
"vai" · 3 letters · shape CVV · "vil" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "vai" and "vil" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary Portuguese text, does "vai" or "vil" show up more?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "vai" and "vil" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "vai" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "vil" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #42,465 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "vai" and "vil" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "velo vs vil". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #42,465 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.