Which to use
“vai” is an adjective and “vivi” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #49
- “vai” frequency rank
- #6,727
- “vivi” frequency rank
- 6776
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | vai | vivi |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | relativo aos vais | viver, existir, respirar |
Where the eye mixes vai and vivi
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. vai runs 3 letters (CVV) against vivi's 4 (CVCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses vai with vivi
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: vai is /ˈvaj/ while vivi is /ˈvi.vi/.. 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 (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 6776, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
vai is recorded at frequency rank #49, classified as anadj, pronounced /ˈvaj/. vivi is at rank #6,727, tagged as averb, pronounced /ˈvi.vi/..
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 6776, this pair ranks #67,565 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of vai vs vivi
Shared letters: iv. Private to "vai": a. Private to "vivi": -.
"vai" · 3 letters · shape CVV · "vivi" · 4 letters · shape CVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- vivi ← ivvi · viiv · vivvi · vvii · vvivi
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "vai" for "vivi" ever safe?
In ordinary Portuguese text, does "vai" or "vivi" show up more?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "vai" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "vivi" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #67,565 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "vai" and "vivi" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "vivaz vs vivi". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #67,565 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.