vanguard
/ˈvænˌɡɑɹd/noun
vanguard is spelled V-A-N-G-U-A-R-D: 8 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 3.4 times per million words in written English, the 14,307th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, vanguard means “The leading units at the front of an army or fleet” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of vanguard is vanguards.
How many letters and syllables are in vanguard?
| Letters | 8: V-A-N-G-U-A-R-D |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 3.4 times per million words; the 14,307th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is vanguard?
Vanguard appears 3.4 times per million words in written English, the 14,307th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce vanguard?
- UK /ˈvanˌɡɑːd/
- US /ˈvænˌɡɑɹd/
- US [ˈvɛənˌɡɑɹd]
Vanguard has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-vanguard.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Naomi_Persephone_Amethyst_(NaomiAmethyst)-vanguard.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Wodencafe-vanguard.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of vanguard
- vanguards plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does vanguard mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The leading units at the front of an army or fleet.
- 2
The person or people at the forefront of a group or movement.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate vanguard?
Wiktionary records one abbreviation of vanguard: van.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Vanguard in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | avant-garde |
| German | Vorhut , Avantgarde, Spitze |
| Portuguese | vanguarda, anteguarda |
| Spanish | vanguardia |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does vanguard come from?
From Middle English vandgard, vaunte garde, vaunt garde, wantgard, from advaunte-garde, avauntgard with aphesis, from Old French avangarde, avant-garde, avantgarde, from avant (“before; in front”) + garde (“guard”). Doublet of avant-garde and vaward.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).