kess

[kɛs]

/[kɛs]/ adj

The verdict

“kess” is uncommon German (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency German
4
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - jung, hübsch und dabei unbekümmert, lebenslustig

Corpus desk

Index DE-kess · kess · German

kess · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "K" 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 kess
PropertyValue
Headwordkess
LanguageGerman
Part of speechAdjective
IPA[kɛs]
Letters4
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Langschwanz-Rang von „kess“ im Deutschen

kessliegt außerhalb der 100.000 häufigsten deutschen Wörter, im Langschwanz technischer, archaischer oder seltener Formen, genau dort, wo Schreibzweifeln zuschlagen.

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

Rare enough to double-check

kess is uncommon German outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective, transcribed [kɛs]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

kess has no tracked misspelling variants, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct German form is kess, spelled K-E-S-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    jung, hübsch und dabei unbekümmert, lebenslustig
  2. 2
    (auf nicht kränkende Weise) ein wenig vorlaut, unverschämt, respektlos
  3. 3
    (auf dreiste Weise) der aktuellen Mode entsprechend, folgend

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. „Mein Emil is ne kesse Nummer, / er hat schon manchen abgekehlt, / doch fürcht’ er sich vor jedem Brummer, / so jut is er, so zart beseelt.“
  2. Die Kleine ist ganz schön kess.

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 "kess"?
"kess" is spelled K-E-S-S. The IPA pronunciation is [kɛs].
What does "kess" mean?
As an adjective, "kess" means: jung, hübsch und dabei unbekümmert, lebenslustig
How do you pronounce "kess"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "kess" is [kɛs]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "kess" come from?
"kess" is a German 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