Which to use
“vão” is an adjective and “vi” is a pronoun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #253
- “vão” frequency rank
- #339
- “vi” frequency rank
- 592
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | vão | vi |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | vazio | tu, você, pronome da segunda pessoa do singular |
Where the eye mixes vão and vi
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence. vão runs 3 letters (CVV) against vi's 2 (CV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: vão vs vi
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: vão is /ˈvɐ̃w̃/ [ˈvɐ̃ʊ̯̃] while vi is /'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 pronoun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 592, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
vão is recorded at frequency rank #253, classified as anadj, pronounced /ˈvɐ̃w̃/ [ˈvɐ̃ʊ̯̃]. vi is at rank #339, tagged as apron, pronounced /'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 592, this pair ranks #75,084 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of vão vs vi
Shared letters: v. Private to "vão": oã. Private to "vi": i.
"vão" · 3 letters · shape CVV · "vi" · 2 letters · shape CV
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "vão" and "vi" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "vão" or "vi"?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "vão" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "vi" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #75,084 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "vão" and "vi" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "vão vs velo". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #75,084 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.