Which to use
“vão” is an adjective and “vol” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #253
- “vão” frequency rank
- #10,986
- “vol” frequency rank
- 11239
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | vão | vol |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | vazio | voo: |
Where the eye mixes vão and vol
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. vão (CVV) and vol (CVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses vão with vol
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: vão is /ˈvɐ̃w̃/ [ˈvɐ̃ʊ̯̃] while vol is /vɔl/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 11239, 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]. vol is at rank #10,986, tagged as anoun, pronounced /vɔl/.
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 11239, this pair ranks #61,654 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of vão vs vol
Shared letters: ov. Private to "vão": ã. Private to "vol": l.
"vão" · 3 letters · shape CVV · "vol" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "vão" for "vol" ever safe?
Which is more common, "vão" or "vol"?
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 "vol" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #61,654 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "vão" and "vol" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "velo vs vol". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #61,654 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.