'Vile' means extremely unpleasant, disgusting, or morally wicked; 'vial' is a small glass container for liquids.
Adjective. Extremely unpleasant, disgusting, or revolting. Morally wicked or base. Informally: of very poor quality.
The vile smell from the broken sewer pipe filled the entire building.
That was a vile accusation with no basis in fact whatsoever.
The weather turned vile overnight — freezing rain and gale-force winds.
Noun. A small cylindrical glass or plastic container used to hold liquids, especially medicines, laboratory samples, or essential oils.
The pharmacist handed her a small vial of the oral medication with instructions.
Each blood sample was stored in a labelled vial at four degrees Celsius.
The perfume came in a delicate crystal vial with a gold stopper.
Common mistake
"She opened a vile of medicine" when meaning the glass container (correct: vial). Or "The test tube is vile" when meaning the glass tube (correct: vial). These are near-homophones — vile has one syllable, vial has two (/vaɪ-əl/).
Trick to remember it
'Vile' = V-I-L-E, four letters like the word 'evil' rearranged minus one. 'Vial' = V-I-A-L, where A stands for 'Ampoule' (the French/medical word for a small glass container).
Quick rule
Is it the adjective for disgusting or wicked? 'Vile'. Is it the small glass container? 'Vial'.
Did you know?
'Vile' comes from Latin 'vilis' (cheap, of low price). From meaning 'without monetary value' it shifted to 'without moral value', then to its modern sense of revolting or wicked. 'Vial' comes from Greek 'phiale' (a broad shallow cup), travelling through Latin 'phiola' into Old English 'fiole'. In the Book of Revelation, the 'seven vials of God's wrath' are containers poured upon the Earth — a dramatic image that made 'vial' familiar in religious literature. Modern translations often use 'bowl' instead.
Exercise 1 · Pick the right one
The lab technician labelled each _____ with the patient's name and the sample date.
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
The reviewer called the film _____ — gratuitously violent and without artistic merit.
Exercise 3 · Form the word
Is it the adjective for disgusting or wicked? 'Vile'. Is it the small glass container? 'Vial'.
"She opened a vile of medicine" when meaning the glass container (correct: vial). Or "The test tube is vile" when meaning the glass tube (correct: vial). These are near-homophones — vile has one syllable, vial has two (/vaɪ-əl/).
'Vile' = V-I-L-E, four letters like the word 'evil' rearranged minus one. 'Vial' = V-I-A-L, where A stands for 'Ampoule' (the French/medical word for a small glass container).
Bryan López
Founder of SpeakUP Academy