Which to use
“vício” is a noun and “viril” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #7,235
- “vício” frequency rank
- #35,397
- “viril” frequency rank
- 42632
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | vício | viril |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | defeito | relativo ou próprio de homem |
Where the eye mixes vício and viril
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. vício (CVCVV) and viril (CVCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Visual trap between vício and viril
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: vício is /ˈvi.sju/ while viril is /vi.ˈɾiɫ/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 3 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 42632, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
vício is recorded at frequency rank #7,235, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈvi.sju/. viril is at rank #35,397, tagged as anadj, pronounced /vi.ˈɾiɫ/.
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 42632, this pair ranks #23,122 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of vício vs viril
Shared letters: iv. Private to "vício": coí. Private to "viril": lr.
"vício" · 5 letters · shape CVCVV · "viril" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- viril ← ivril · viirl · virill · virli · virril · vriil · vviril
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "vício" for "viril" ever safe?
In ordinary Portuguese text, does "vício" or "viril" show up more?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "vício" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "viril" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #23,122 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "vício" and "viril" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "viril vs vitral". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #23,122 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.