Character Visual Mode

v — select first, act second.

Keys: v, o

v enters character-wise Visual mode. Move to extend the selection. Press an operator (d, c, y, …) to act on it.

Visual mode flips the grammar around. Instead of "verb then noun" (dw), you do "noun then verb": select first, then act. v starts the selection, motions extend it, and an operator finishes the job.

Enter Visual mode
KeyNote
v
Select two words, delete them
KeyNote
v
w
w
d
Switch which end of the selection moves
KeyNote
o
v — character Visual
o — switch endpoints

Reference

Key Action
v Enter character-wise Visual
o Swap cursor and anchor
Esc Leave Visual without acting
gv Re-select last visual range
`<, `> Marks for selection start/end

Worked example — v and motion

Character-wise visual selection.

Step 1 ·
visual.char
Step 2 · vw · vw — selected through next word.
vw — selected through next word.
Step 3 · d · d — delete the selection.
d — delete the selection.

Visual mode picks a range first, then you apply an operator. Useful when the right motion is hard to compose.

▶ Try this in the simulator

See also: Line and Block Visual, Visual Mode Tricks, The Three Visual Modes, Swap and Adjust Endpoints