vigilante

/ˌvɪd͡ʒ.ɪˈlæn.ti/

//ˌvɪd͡ʒ.ɪˈlæn.ti// noun

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

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

The verdict

“vigilante” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #19,499. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#19,499
frequency rank, English
969
“V” headwords
13
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A member of a vigilance committee.

Corpus desk

Index EN-vigilante · vigilante · English

vigilante · rank #19,499 · 13 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #19,499
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 13 variants
  • BOOK-MID 969
  • PHOTO-FINISH valiant

Nearest frequency peer: valiant (-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 “vigilante”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “vigilante” 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).

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

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

Key facts for vigilante
PropertyValue
Headwordvigilante
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌvɪd͡ʒ.ɪˈlæn.ti/
Letters9
Frequency rank#19,499
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “vigilante”

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

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “valiant” (#19,498), “viper” (#19,500), “urinary” (#19,497). Among 969 “V” headwords, “vigilante” is #19,499. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around vigilante (IPA /ˌvɪd͡ʒ.ɪˈlæn.ti/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #19,499 among 969 “V” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for vigilante, with forms such as "ivgilante", "vgiilante", and "viggilante". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "vigilant", "vigilance", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Spanish vigilante (“watchman, guard”), from Latin vigilans. Doublet of vigilant. The correct English form is vigilante, spelled V-I-G-I-L-A-N-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A member of a vigilance committee.
  2. 2
    A person who acts outside of legal authority, often violently, to punish or avenge a crime, right a perceived wrong, etc.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. For example, a voice accusing a man of being a paedophile might be based on recent TV news programmes about antipaedophile vigilante groups, plus the memory of having been accused of being a pervert by a neighbour, plus fears that he might be a secret paedophile because he enjoyed reading Lolita.
  2. Jeptha Billingsley, who was no prize pig himself (he had been arrested for horse theft and assault with intent to murder), was to be taught a lesson, and the vigilantes made him cut down the McLemores.

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish vigilante (“watchman, guard”), from Latin vigilans. Doublet of vigilant.

This word in other languages

justicier(Français)justiceiro(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ivgilante
  • vgiilante
  • viggilante
  • vigialnte
  • vigilanet
  • vigilannte
  • vigilantte
  • vigilatne
  • vigillante
  • vigilnate
  • vigliante
  • viiglante
  • vvigilante

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of vigilante - 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.

ivgilante2vgiilante2viggilante1vigialnte2vigilanet2vigilannte1vigilantte1vigilatne2
Edit distance from "vigilante"

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 "vigilante"?
"vigilante" is spelled V-I-G-I-L-A-N-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌvɪd͡ʒ.ɪˈlæn.ti/.
What does "vigilante" mean?
As a noun, "vigilante" means: A member of a vigilance committee.
What words are commonly confused with "vigilante"?
"vigilante" is commonly confused with "vigilant", "vigilance". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "vigilante"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "vigilante" is /ˌvɪd͡ʒ.ɪˈlæn.ti/. 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 "vigilante"?
Borrowed from Spanish vigilante (“watchman, guard”), from Latin vigilans. Doublet of vigilant. 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 "vigilante", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

unethical#19,493Whitehall#19,506toughness#19,488attentive#19,524

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (13 here; floor ≥5).

startled13 variantsstagnant13 variantsblinking13 variantsshoreline13 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list