Copy a word and paste the same word at multiple places in Vim

Question

If I try to copy a word via this yw – yank the current word and paste it to somewhere, it works but If I try to paste it somewhere else one more time old world gets lost with previous replaced word.

I want to paste multiple times with the original yanked word.

Answer 1

You should use the register 0. It contains the last yanked text.

By default, c, d, y use the unnamed register "" to store all modified text.

But the numbered registers "0 contains the previously yanked text and only that. You can use :

"0p

With confidence it will past the last yanked text.

Answer 2

As of current vim (since 2022-05-06) you can use P in visual mode to paste over a selection without overriding unnamed register (:h v_P):

With |p| the previously selected text is put in the unnamed register (and
possibly the selection and/or clipboard).  This is useful if you want to put
that text somewhere else.  But you cannot repeat the same change.
With |P| the unnamed register is not changed (and neither the selection or
clipboard), you can repeat the same change.

Thus you can yiw to yank a word, then do multiple viwP replaces with that yanked word.