3 syllables: Vi, gi, lance. Stress on Vi.
VIJ-uh-luhns
/ˈvɪdʒələns/
Vigilance is pronounced VIJ-uh-luhns (/ˈvɪdʒələns/). It has three syllables (Vi-gi-lance), with the stress on "Vi". Vigilance is the careful, continuous readiness to notice and respond to potential dangers or changes in one’s environment. It implies sustained attention, alertness, and proactive monitoring, often essential in safety, security, and high-stakes work. The noun emphasizes the state or quality of staying watchful over time rather than a single act of observation.
nounVigilance is the careful, continuous readiness to notice and respond to potential dangers or changes in one’s environment. It implies sustained attention, alertness, and proactive monitoring, often essential in safety, security, and high-stakes work. The noun emphasizes the state or quality of staying watchful over time rather than a single act of observation.
How to Pronounce Vigilance
"Her vigilance during the night shift prevented a machinery malfunction."
"The security team's vigilance helped avert a potential breach."
"A culture of vigilance can reduce accidents in the workplace."
Pronounce as /ˈvɪdʒ.ɪ.ləns/. Start with a stressed first syllable ‘VIG’ where the vowel is a short, lax I /ɪ/. The second syllable is a short /ɪ/ as in ‘bit’, followed by a light schwa /ə/ in the third, and end with the /lən(ts)/ cluster where the final /s/ is often unreleased in careful speech. Think: VIG-i-luhns. Audio reference: for a model, listen to standard American English pronunciation in dictionaries or Forvo entries for ‘vigilance’.
Common errors include: 1) Reducing the middle /ɪ/ to a schwa too early, making it Vi-JUH-lance instead of Vi-JI-lance. 2) Slurring the /dʒ/ into a simple /d/ or /j/ sound, producing ‘vidj-lance’ instead of the correct /dʒ/ as in judge. 3) Final cluster /lən(s)/ being pronounced with a full vowel before /s/, or dropping the /n/ in fast speech. Corrections: maintain a brief, crisp /ɪ/ in the second syllable; clearly release the /dʒ/ as in 'judge'; keep the final /ən/ before /s/ and avoid nasalization before the /s/.
In US pronunciation, the initial /ˈvɪdʒ.ɪ.ləns/ has crisp /dʒ/ and a strong first syllable. In UK English, the /ɪ/ vowels in the second and third syllables can be slightly tenser, and the /r/ is not involved; however, rhoticity means American rhotics often influence nearby vowels. Australian speech tends to be even more centralized with a tendency toward a slightly closer /ɪ/; the /l/ in the penultimate syllable can be light. Overall, the vowel quality, rhotacism (US) vs non-rhotic (UK/AU) is the primary difference. IPA remains /ˈvɪdʒ.ɪ.ləns/ with accent-specific vowel quality shifts.
Difficulties center on the consonant blend /dʒ/ after an unstressed vowel and the final -ance; the middle /ɪ/ can be reduced, but here it’s pronounced clearly to avoid mispronouncing as ‘vid-jance’. The sequence /ˈvɪdʒ.ɪ.ləns/ requires clean syllable separation: VIG - i - lence. The final /lən(s)/ cluster requires balancing lateral tongue contact with a clear sibilant. Practicing the exact /dʒ/ release and the unstressed schwa or near-schwa helps distinguish vigilance from similar words. The main challenge is keeping the stress on the first syllable while ensuring crisp onset and a proper final consonant cluster.
Does the word ever reduce its middle syllable in natural speech? In careful speech, you typically maintain /vɪdʒ.ɪ.ləns/. In rapid speech or certain dialects, some speakers may slightly reduce the middle /ɪ/ toward a near-schwa or connect it with the final syllable, sounding like /ˈvɪdʒ.ləns/ or /ˈvɪdʒ.ləns/. However, for clear recognition—such as in security or safety announcements—you should preserve the three-syllable pattern with a clearly enunciated /ɪ/ in the middle to avoid confusion with similar words.
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Vigilance comes from the Latin vigilare, meaning to be awake or watchful. The noun form derives from Latin vigilia, which signified wakefulness or a watch. By Old French, vigileance or vigilance emerged, attaching to the concept of staying awake to guard or observe. In Middle English, the word started to indicate a state of alertness rather than the act of being awake, aligning with security and observation contexts. The root vig- relates to wakefulness (Latin vigere “to be alive, active”), and the suffix -ance turns verbs into abstract nouns denoting a quality or state. In practical terms, vigilance has long carried connotations of duty, duty-bound watching, and disciplined attentiveness. First known uses in English appear in the 15th-16th centuries within religious and military texts, later broadening to medicine, safety, and law enforcement as a general quality of careful, continuous attention.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "Vigilance" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "Vigilance"
-nce sounds
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