Which to use
“vão” is an adjective and “vox” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #253
- “vão” frequency rank
- #21,338
- “vox” frequency rank
- 21591
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | vão | vox |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | vazio | voz |
Where the eye mixes vão and vox
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. vão (CVV) and vox (CVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Visual trap between vão and vox
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: vão is /ˈvɐ̃w̃/ [ˈvɐ̃ʊ̯̃] while vox is /wo:ks/. 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 21591, 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]. vox is at rank #21,338, tagged as anoun, pronounced /wo:ks/.
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 21591, this pair ranks #48,620 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of vão vs vox
Shared letters: ov. Private to "vão": ã. Private to "vox": x.
"vão" · 3 letters · shape CVV · "vox" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "vão" for "vox" ever safe?
Which is more common, "vão" or "vox"?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "vão" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "vox" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #48,620 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "vão" and "vox" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "vet vs vox". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #48,620 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.