vehemence

/ˈviːəmən(t)s/

//ˈviːəmən(t)s// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"vehemence" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“vehemence” is uncommon English (frequency #72,874 among 969 “V” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#72,874
frequency rank, English
969
“V” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An intense concentration, force or power.

Corpus desk

Index EN-vehemence · vehemence · English

vehemence · rank #72,874 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #72,874
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 969
  • PHOTO-FINISH Vater

Nearest frequency peer: Vater (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Long-tail ranks near “vehemence”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “vehemence” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for vehemence
PropertyValue
Headwordvehemence
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈviːəmən(t)s/
Letters9
Frequency rank#72,874
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “vehemence” in English

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).vehemencefalls in this rarity band:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “Vater” (#72,873), “VESA” (#72,875), “varia” (#72,872). Among 969 “V” headwords, “vehemence” is #72,874. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

vehemence is uncommon English at frequency #72,874 among 969 “V” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈviːəmən(t)s/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for vehemence, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. Our dataset records no confusable match here, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English vehemens, vemance, from Old French vëemence, vehemence, from Latin vehementia (“eagerness, strength”), from vehemens (“eager”). The correct English form is vehemence, spelled V-E-H-E-M-E-N-C-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    An intense concentration, force or power.
  2. 2
    A wild or turbulent ferocity or fury.
  3. 3
    Eagerness, fervor, excessive strong feeling.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how vehemence appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. The bear attacked with vengeance and vehemence.
  2. His response was bursting with hatred and vehemence.

Etymology

From Middle English vehemens, vemance, from Old French vëemence, vehemence, from Latin vehementia (“eagerness, strength”), from vehemens (“eager”).

This word in other languages

vehemencia(Español)Heftigkeit(Deutsch)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "vehemence"?
"vehemence" is spelled V-E-H-E-M-E-N-C-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈviːəmən(t)s/.
What does "vehemence" mean?
As a noun, "vehemence" means: An intense concentration, force or power.
How do you pronounce "vehemence"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "vehemence" is /ˈviːəmən(t)s/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "vehemence"?
From Middle English vehemens, vemance, from Old French vëemence, vehemence, from Latin vehementia (“eagerness, strength”), from vehemens (“eager”). See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "vehemence", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

vampirism#72,870Uniontown#72,860unexpired#72,858unceasing#72,853

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list