Which to use
“vil” is an adjective and “vós” is a pronoun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #26,593
- “vil” frequency rank
- #6,014
- “vós” frequency rank
- 32607
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | vil | vós |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | reles | usado para indicar as pessoas a quem se fala |
Where the eye mixes vil and vós
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Visual trap between vil and vós
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: vil is /ˈviɫ/ while vós is [vɔʃ], [vɔs]. 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 pronoun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 32607, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
vil is recorded at frequency rank #26,593, classified as anadj, pronounced /ˈviɫ/. vós is at rank #6,014, tagged as apron, pronounced [vɔʃ], [vɔs].
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 32607, this pair ranks #35,151 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of vil vs vós
Shared letters: v. Private to "vil": il. Private to "vós": só.
"vil" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "vós" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "vil" and "vós" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary Portuguese text, does "vil" or "vós" show up more?
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 "vil" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "vós" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #35,151 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "vil" and "vós" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "velo vs vil". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #35,151 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.