commissar
/ˈkɑ.məˌsɑɹ/noun
commissar is spelled C-O-M-M-I-S-S-A-R: 9 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 42,680th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, commissar means “An official of the Communist Party, often attached to a military unit, who was responsible for political education” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of commissar is commissars.
How many letters and syllables are in commissar?
| Letters | 9: C-O-M-M-I-S-S-A-R |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 42,680th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is commissar?
Commissar appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 42,680th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce commissar?
- UK /ˌkɒmɪˈsɑː/
- US /ˈkɑ.məˌsɑɹ/
Commissar has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-commissar.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of commissar
- commissars plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does commissar mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
An official of the Communist Party, often attached to a military unit, who was responsible for political education.
- 2
The head of a commissariat.
- 3
colloquialA political functionary whose job is to push the party or government line.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Commissar in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense (Soviet Union) the head of a commissariat:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | commissaire |
| German | Kommissar, Kommissarin |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does commissar come from?
Borrowed from Russian комисса́р (komissár), from German Kommissar (“commissioner”), from Latin commissarius, from commissus, past participle of committō (“to commit, entrust to”). Doublet of commissary.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).