confess

/kənˈfɛs/

//kənˈfɛs// verb

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

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

The verdict

“confess” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #9,306. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#9,306
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
11
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To admit to the truth, particularly in the context of sins or crimes committed.

Corpus desk

Index EN-confess · confess · English

confess · rank #9,306 · 9 variants · 11 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #9,306
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 11 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH comprised

Nearest frequency peer: comprised (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “confess”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “confess” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

confess vs contest
71% similar
confess vs confuse
71% similar
confess vs conveys
71% similar

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

Key facts for confess
PropertyValue
Headwordconfess
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/kənˈfɛs/
Letters7
Frequency rank#9,306
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs11
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “confess”

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).confesslands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “comprised” (#9,305), “confined” (#9,307), “compression” (#9,304). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “confess” is #9,306. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around confess (IPA /kənˈfɛs/), averb. Corpus frequency is #9,306 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for confess, with forms such as "cconfess", "cnofess", and "cofness". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 11 confusable-pair relationships, "contest", "confuse", "conveys", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English confessen, from Anglo-Norman confesser, from Old French confesser, from Latin confessus (Old French confés), past participle of cōnfiteor (“I confess, I admit”) from con- + fateor (“to admit”). Displaced Middle English andetten (“to conf… The correct English form is confess, spelled C-O-N-F-E-S-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    To admit to the truth, particularly in the context of sins or crimes committed.
  2. 2
    To acknowledge faith in; to profess belief in.
  3. 3
    To unburden (oneself) of sins to God or a priest, in order to receive absolution.
  4. 4
    To hear or receive such a confession of sins from.
  5. 5
    To disclose or reveal.
  6. 6
    To profess one's love.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. I confess to spray-painting all over that mural!
  2. I confess that I am a sinner.

Etymology

From Middle English confessen, from Anglo-Norman confesser, from Old French confesser, from Latin confessus (Old French confés), past participle of cōnfiteor (“I confess, I admit”) from con- + fateor (“to admit”). Displaced Middle English andetten (“to confess, admit”) (from Old English andettan). Doublet of confiteor. Sense 6 is a calque of 告白 (kokuhaku).

Synonyms

acknowledgeadmitassentavowbeknowcome cleanconcedeconfessfessfess upfront upmake a clean breastownown upshrivesingspill one's gutsspill the beansstep forwardtalktell allunbosom

Antonyms

abjuredenydisavowdisclaimdisownreject

This word in other languages

confesar(Español)avouer(Français)gestehen(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • cconfess
  • cnofess
  • cofness
  • conefss
  • confes
  • conffess
  • confses
  • connfess
  • ocnfess

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of confess - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

cconfess1cnofess2cofness2conefss2confes1conffess1confses2connfess1
Edit distance from "confess"

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 "confess"?
"confess" is spelled C-O-N-F-E-S-S. The IPA pronunciation is /kənˈfɛs/.
What does "confess" mean?
As a verb, "confess" means: To admit to the truth, particularly in the context of sins or crimes committed.
What words are commonly confused with "confess"?
"confess" is commonly confused with "contest", "confuse", "conveys". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "confess"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "confess" is /kənˈfɛs/. 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 "confess"?
From Middle English confessen, from Anglo-Norman confesser, from Old French confesser, from Latin confessus (Old French confés), past participle of cōnfiteor (“I confess, I admit”) from con- + fateor (“to admit”). Displaced Middle English andetten... 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 "confess", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

candles#9,293despair#9,319calcium#9,291broadly#9,290

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

cheeks9 variantsCalvin9 variantsenzyme9 variantsfellows9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list