vicissitude
vi·cis·si·tude/vɪˈsɪs.ɪˌt(j)uːd/noun
vicissitude is spelled V-I-C-I-S-S-I-T-U-D-E: 11 letters and 4 syllables (vi·cis·si·tude). It appears about once in every 46 million words in written English, the 209,386th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, vicissitude means “Regular change or succession from one thing to another, or one part of a cycle to the next; alternation; mutual succession; interchange; variability” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of vicissitude is vicissitudes.
How many letters and syllables are in vicissitude?
| Letters | 11: V-I-C-I-S-S-I-T-U-D-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4: vi·cis·si·tude |
| In writing | about once in every 46 million words; the 209,386th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is vicissitude?
Vicissitude appears about once in every 46 million words in written English, the 209,386th 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 vicissitude?
- US /vɪˈsɪs.ɪˌt(j)uːd/
- US /vaɪˈsɪs.ɪˌtuːd/
Vicissitude has 4 syllables, split vi·cis·si·tude in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-vicissitude.wav, En-us-vicissitude.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of vicissitude
- vicissitudes plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does vicissitude mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Regular change or succession from one thing to another, or one part of a cycle to the next; alternation; mutual succession; interchange; variability.
- 2
A change, especially in one's life or fortunes.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Vicissitude in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | vicissitude |
| German | Unbeständigkeit, Wandel , Wechsel, Veränderung |
| Portuguese | vicissitude |
| Spanish | vicisitud |
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 vicissitude come from?
From Middle French vicissitude, from Latin vicissitūdō (“change”), from vicissim (“on the other hand, in turn”), from vicis (“change, vicissitude”), whence Portuguese vez and French fois (“time (as in "next time"), occurrence”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).