confess
/kənˈfɛs/verb
confess is spelled C-O-N-F-E-S-S: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 6.6 times per million words in written English, the 9,313th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, confess means “To admit to the truth, particularly in the context of sins or crimes committed” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in confess?
| Letters | 7: C-O-N-F-E-S-S |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 6.6 times per million words; the 9,313th 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 confess?
Confess appears 6.6 times per million words in written English, the 9,313th 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 confess?
- /kənˈfɛs/
Confess has 2 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: En-us-confess.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of confess
- confesses present, singular, he/she/it
- confessing participle, present
- confessed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does confess mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To admit to the truth, particularly in the context of sins or crimes committed.
I confess to spray-painting all over that mural!
- 2
To acknowledge faith in; to profess belief in.
- 3
To unburden (oneself) of sins to God or a priest, in order to receive absolution.
- 4
To hear or receive such a confession of sins from.
- 5
To disclose or reveal.
- 6
To profess one's love.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Confess in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | avouer, confesser |
| German | gestehen, bekennen, verraten , beichten |
| Portuguese | confessar |
| Spanish | confesar |
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 confess come from?
From Middle English confessen, from Anglo-Norman confesser, from Old French confesser, from Latin confessus (Old French confés), past participle of cōnfiteor (“to confess, admit”) from con- + fateor (“to admit”). Displaced Middle English andetten (“to confess, admit”) (from Old English andettan). Doublet of confiteor. Sense 6 is a semantic loan from Japanese 告(こく)白(はく) (kokuhaku).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).