# esse vs ester

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### esse
*noun · IPA /ˈɛsi/ · frequency rank #47,043*
Essence, essential nature.

### ester
*noun · IPA /ˈɛstɚ/ · frequency rank #26,780*
A compound most often formed by the condensation of an alcohol and an acid, with elimination of water, which contains the functional group carbon-oxygen double bond (i.e., carbonyl) joined via carbon to another oxygen atom.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/esse-vs-ester