assize

/əˈsaɪz/

//əˈsaɪz// noun

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

"assize" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“assize” is uncommon English (frequency #79,274 among 3,931 “A” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#79,274
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A session or inquiry made before a court or jury.

Corpus desk

Index EN-assize · assize · English

assize · rank #79,274 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #79,274
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH assiduous

Nearest frequency peer: assiduous (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

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.

Long-tail ranks near “assize”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “assize” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for assize
PropertyValue
Headwordassize
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/əˈsaɪz/
Letters6
Frequency rank#79,274
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “assize” in English

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).assizefalls in this rarity band:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “assiduous” (#79,273), “astragalus” (#79,275), “Ashbury” (#79,270). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “assize” is #79,274. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

assize is uncommon English at frequency #79,274 among 3,931 “A” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /əˈsaɪz/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 6 senses are on record.

No misspelling variants are generated for assize in our index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English assise, from Old French assises, feminine plural participle of Old French asseoir (“to sit”), from Latin assidere. The correct English form is assize, spelled A-S-S-I-Z-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A session or inquiry made before a court or jury.
  2. 2
    The verdict reached or pronouncement given by a panel of jurors.
  3. 3
    An assembly of knights and other substantial men, with a bailiff or justice, in a certain place and at a certain time, for public business.
  4. 4
    A statute or ordinance, especially one regulating weights and measures.
  5. 5
    Anything fixed or reduced to a certainty in point of time, number, quantity, quality, weight, measure, etc.
  6. 6
    A measure, dimension, or size.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. the assize of bread and other provisions
  2. rent of assize

Etymology

From Middle English assise, from Old French assises, feminine plural participle of Old French asseoir (“to sit”), from Latin assidere.

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 "assize"?
"assize" is spelled A-S-S-I-Z-E. The IPA pronunciation is /əˈsaɪz/.
What does "assize" mean?
As a noun, "assize" means: A session or inquiry made before a court or jury.
How do you pronounce "assize"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "assize" is /əˈsaɪz/. 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 "assize"?
From Middle English assise, from Old French assises, feminine plural participle of Old French asseoir (“to sit”), from Latin assidere. 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "assize", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

bailee#79,284ballas#79,287barque#79,288Beaune#79,291

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list