“veil” vs. “vale”

Use "veil" for fabric covering the face/head, or figuratively for something concealing; use "vale" (rare, literary) for a valley, especially in "vale of tears."

The real distinction

"Veil" describes fabric covering the face or head (or figuratively, anything concealing), while "vale" describes a valley, especially in older or poetic writing, and identical pronunciation is coincidence, since the two trace to entirely separate Latin roots. Bridal fashion, religious covering, or figurative concealment all call for "veil" ("a veil of mystery surrounded the case"); a valley, especially in a poetic or old-fashioned register, calls for "vale" ("they wandered through a quiet vale"). Because "vale" is a genuinely rare, almost archaic word today, mostly encountered in classic literature, poetry, or the specific phrase "vale of tears," while "veil" remains a common, everyday word in fashion, religious, and figurative contexts, most writers will use "veil" far more often and can treat "vale" as a specialized literary term worth double-checking only when writing deliberately old-fashioned or poetic prose about landscapes. It's also worth noting that "veil" appears throughout fashion, religious, and figurative writing about secrecy or concealment, while "vale" survives almost exclusively in poetry, hymns, and classic literature describing pastoral landscapes, making "veil" by far the safer default assumption in most contemporary writing.

Examples with “veil”

• The bride's veil trailed elegantly behind her down the aisle.
• A veil of fog settled over the harbor by morning.
• She lifted her veil just before the ceremony began.
• The scandal was hidden behind a veil of corporate secrecy.
• The nun's veil was a simple, unadorned black fabric.
• A veil of smoke drifted slowly across the valley.
• He made a veiled threat during the tense negotiation.
• The museum displayed an antique lace veil from the 1800s.
• A veil of silence fell over the courtroom.
• She wore a delicate veil embroidered with tiny pearls.
• The dancer's costume included a shimmering silk veil.
• The gallery displayed a Victorian mourning veil made of black lace.

Examples with “vale”

• The old poem described a peaceful vale beneath the hills.
• They hiked through a quiet vale dotted with wildflowers.
• The phrase "vale of tears" reflects a somber view of earthly life.
• Mist gathered slowly across the sleepy vale at dawn.
• The novel's setting was a remote vale in the countryside.
• Shepherds once grazed their flocks in the fertile vale.
• The hymn spoke of leaving this vale of tears behind.
• A small stream wound gently through the narrow vale.
• The ancient village nestled comfortably within the vale.
• Poets often romanticized the quiet solitude of the vale.
• The shepherd led his flock down into the sheltered vale.
• Wildflowers carpeted the entire vale each spring.

Memory trick

Picture a bridal "veil" made of delicate fabric draped over the face, echoing its Latin root meaning "sail" or "covering cloth." "Vale" rhymes with "valley" and shares its Latin root exactly, so picture rolling green hills whenever the word appears in an old poem or hymn. A boutique or a wedding points to "veil"; rolling countryside in an old poem points to "vale." And if the sentence turns up in a hymn about earthly sorrow, remember that "vale of tears" is the one place the older, quieter word still gets regular use.