abscess

/ˈæbsɛs/

//ˈæbsɛs// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"abscess" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“abscess” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #36,413 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#36,413
frequency rank, English
7
letters
9
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A cavity caused by tissue destruction, usually because of infection, filled with pus and surrounded by inflamed tissue.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

abscess vs access
71% similar
abscess vs assess
71% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for abscess
PropertyValue
Headwordabscess
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈæbsɛs/
Letters7
Frequency rank#36,413
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “abscess” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). abscess lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for abscess is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈæbsɛs/. Corpus data places it at rank #36,413 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "A cavity caused by tissue destruction, usually because of infection, filled with pus and surrounded by inflamed tissue.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for abscess, with forms such as "abbscess", "abcsess", and "absccess". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "access", "assess", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin abscessus (“a going away; gathering of humors, abscess”), from abscēdō (“go away, depart”), from abs (“away from”) + cēdō (“go”). See cede. The correct English form is abscess, spelled A-B-S-C-E-S-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    A cavity caused by tissue destruction, usually because of infection, filled with pus and surrounded by inflamed tissue.

Etymology

From Latin abscessus (“a going away; gathering of humors, abscess”), from abscēdō (“go away, depart”), from abs (“away from”) + cēdō (“go”). See cede.

This word in other languages

absceso(Español)abcès(Français)Abszess(Deutsch)abscesso(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: abbscess,abcsess,absccess,absces,abscses,absecss,absscess,asbcess,bascess

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of abscess - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

abbscess1abcsess2absccess1absces1abscses2absecss2absscess1asbcess2
Edit distance from "abscess"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "abscess"?
"abscess" is spelled A-B-S-C-E-S-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈæbsɛs/.
What does "abscess" mean?
As a noun, "abscess" means: A cavity caused by tissue destruction, usually because of infection, filled with pus and surrounded by inflamed tissue.
What words are commonly confused with "abscess"?
"abscess" is commonly confused with "access", "assess". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "abscess"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "abscess" is /ˈæbsɛs/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "abscess"?
From Latin abscessus (“a going away; gathering of humors, abscess”), from abscēdō (“go away, depart”), from abs (“away from”) + cēdō (“go”). See cede. See the full etymology section above for more details.
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.

Using “abscess”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is A-B-S-C-E-S-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈæbsɛs/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “access” - see the side-by-side comparison. abscess vs access
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list