vicissitude

\vi.si.si.tyd\

/\vi.si.si.tyd\/ noun

The verdict

“vicissitude” is uncommon French (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency French
11
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Révolution, changement par lequel des choses différentes se succèdent les unes aux autres.

Corpus desk

Index FR-vicissitude · vicissitude · French

vicissitude · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "V" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for vicissitude
PropertyValue
Headwordvicissitude
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\vi.si.si.tyd\
Letters11
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Longue queue: rang de « vicissitude » en français

vicissitudereste hors des 100.000 mots français les plus fréquents, dans la longue queue du vocabulaire technique, archaïque ou rare, là où le doute d'orthographe frappe.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

vicissitude is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed \vi.si.si.tyd\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

vicissitude doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, a sign its spelling follows regular French conventions. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct French form is vicissitude, spelled V-I-C-I-S-S-I-T-U-D-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Révolution, changement par lequel des choses différentes se succèdent les unes aux autres.
  2. 2
    Instabilité, disposition qu’ont toutes les choses à changer rapidement de mal en bien, de bien en mal.
  3. 3
    Ces changements mêmes.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. La vicissitude des saisons.
  2. Sa vie est une vicissitude continuelle de repos et de travail, de plaisirs et de peines, de sagesse et de joie.

This word in other languages

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "vicissitude"?
"vicissitude" is spelled V-I-C-I-S-S-I-T-U-D-E. The IPA pronunciation is \vi.si.si.tyd\.
What does "vicissitude" mean?
As a noun, "vicissitude" means: Révolution, changement par lequel des choses différentes se succèdent les unes aux autres.
How do you pronounce "vicissitude"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "vicissitude" is \vi.si.si.tyd\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "vicissitude" come from?
"vicissitude" is a French word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list