vigilance

/ˈvɪd͡ʒɪlɪns/

//ˈvɪd͡ʒɪlɪns// noun

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

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

The verdict

“vigilance” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #23,719. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#23,719
frequency rank, English
969
“V” headwords
14
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Alert watchfulness.

Corpus desk

Index EN-vigilance · vigilance · English

vigilance · rank #23,719 · 14 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #23,719
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-MID 969
  • PHOTO-FINISH vertigo

Nearest frequency peer: vertigo (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “vigilance”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “vigilance” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

vigilance vs vigilant
78% similar
vigilance vs vigilante
89% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for vigilance
PropertyValue
Headwordvigilance
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈvɪd͡ʒɪlɪns/
Letters9
Frequency rank#23,719
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “vigilance”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).vigilancelands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “vertigo” (#23,718), “viscount” (#23,720), “uproar” (#23,717). Among 969 “V” headwords, “vigilance” is #23,719. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around vigilance (IPA /ˈvɪd͡ʒɪlɪns/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #23,719 among 969 “V” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for vigilance, with forms such as "ivgilance", "vgiilance", and "viggilance". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "vigilant", "vigilante", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Middle French vigilance, from Latin vigilantia. The correct English form is vigilance, spelled V-I-G-I-L-A-N-C-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Alert watchfulness.
  2. 2
    Close and continuous attention.
  3. 3
    A guard; a person set to watch.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. To-night she took her accustomed place; for, during the night, no vigilance could satisfy her but her own: any eye but hers might close in momentary forgetfulness.
  2. I corralled the judge, and we started off across the fields, in no very mild state of fear of that gentleman's wife, whose vigilance was seldom relaxed. And thus we came by a circuitous route to Mohair, the judge occupied by his own guilty thoughts, and I by others not less disturbing.

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French vigilance, from Latin vigilantia.

This word in other languages

vigilancia(Español)vigilance(Français)Wachsamkeit(Deutsch)vigilância(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ivgilance
  • vgiilance
  • viggilance
  • vigialnce
  • vigilacne
  • vigilancce
  • vigilanec
  • vigilannce
  • vigilence
  • vigillance
  • vigilnace
  • vigliance
  • viiglance
  • vvigilance

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of vigilance - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

ivgilance2vgiilance2viggilance1vigialnce2vigilacne2vigilancce1vigilanec2vigilannce1
Edit distance from "vigilance"

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 "vigilance"?
"vigilance" is spelled V-I-G-I-L-A-N-C-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈvɪd͡ʒɪlɪns/.
What does "vigilance" mean?
As a noun, "vigilance" means: Alert watchfulness.
What words are commonly confused with "vigilance"?
"vigilance" is commonly confused with "vigilant", "vigilante". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "vigilance"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "vigilance" is /ˈvɪd͡ʒɪlɪns/. 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 "vigilance"?
Borrowed from Middle French vigilance, from Latin vigilantia. 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 "vigilance", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

affirming#23,739sportsman#23,685socialize#23,680Blanchard#23,761

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

battleship14 variantsseverance14 variantsremodeling14 variantsconserved14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list