The nucleophilic vinylic substitution (SNV) reactions of methoxybenzylidene Meldrum's acid (5-OMe) follow the common two-step mechanism involving a tetrahedral intermediate. With thiolate and alkoxide ions, this intermediate is shown to accumulate to detectable levels and a detailed kinetic study allowed the determination of the rate constants of the various elementary steps. With OH- as the nucleophile, the intermediate cannot be observed; it is shown that this is the result of the intermediate rapidly breaking down to products by a pathway not available in the reactions with the thiolate or alkoxide ions. Comparison of structure-reactivity data for the reactions of 5-OMe with those of benzylidene Meldrum's acid (5-H) and beta-methoxy-alpha-nitrostilbene (4-OMe) reveal a complex interplay of steric effects, pi-donor and pi-acceptor resonance effects, and anomeric effects.