Which to use
“vão” and “vil” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #253
- “vão” frequency rank
- #26,593
- “vil” frequency rank
- 26846
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | vão | vil |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | vazio | reles |
Where the eye mixes vão and vil
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence. vão (CVV) and vil (CVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Visual trap between vão and vil
A purely visual mix-up. vão (/ˈvɐ̃w̃/ [ˈvɐ̃ʊ̯̃]) 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 26846, 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]. 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 26846, this pair ranks #42,236 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of vão vs vil
Shared letters: v. Private to "vão": oã. Private to "vil": il.
"vão" · 3 letters · shape CVV · "vil" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "vão" and "vil" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary Portuguese text, does "vão" or "vil" show up more?
After this comparison
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 "vil" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #42,236 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "vão" and "vil" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "velo vs vil". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #42,236 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.