Which to use
“vamos” is a verb and “vão” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #207
- “vamos” frequency rank
- #253
- “vão” frequency rank
- 460
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | vamos | vão |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | primeira pessoa do plural do indicativo presente do verbo ir | vazio |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set vamos and vão apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: vamos is averb and vãoanadjective. On the page they differ by 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 460, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
vamos is recorded at frequency rank #207, classified as averb. 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 460, this pair ranks #75,197 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of vamos vs vão
Shared letters: ov. Private to "vamos": ams. Private to "vão": ã.
"vamos" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "vão" · 3 letters · shape CVV
Known mistypes of this pair
- vamos ← avmos · vammos · vamoss · vamso · vaoms · vmaos · vvamos
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "vamos" and "vão" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "vamos" or "vão"?
Remembering vamos vs vão
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “vamos”; for an adjective, it's “vão”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “vamos” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable