contessa

/kənˈtɛsə/

//kənˈtɛsə// noun

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

"contessa" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“contessa” is uncommon English (frequency #53,460 among 5,599 “C” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#53,460
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A countess, often specifically an Italian countess

Corpus desk

Index EN-contessa · contessa · English

contessa · rank #53,460 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #53,460
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH cookout

Nearest frequency peer: cookout (+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 “contessa”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for contessa
PropertyValue
Headwordcontessa
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/kənˈtɛsə/
Letters8
Frequency rank#53,460
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “contessa” in English

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).contessafalls 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: “cookout” (#53,461), “conflated” (#53,458), “configurable” (#53,457). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “contessa” is #53,460. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

contessa is uncommon English at frequency #53,460 among 5,599 “C” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /kənˈtɛsə/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A countess, often specifically an Italian countess".

No misspelling variants are generated for contessa in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Italian contessa. Doublet of countess. The correct English form is contessa, spelled C-O-N-T-E-S-S-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    A countess, often specifically an Italian countess

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. […] Ms. Boris choreographed a tale about a haughty contessa who tries to seduce a young man with wondrous perfumes.

Etymology

From Italian contessa. Doublet of countess.

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 "contessa"?
"contessa" is spelled C-O-N-T-E-S-S-A. The IPA pronunciation is /kənˈtɛsə/.
What does "contessa" mean?
As a noun, "contessa" means: A countess, often specifically an Italian countess
How do you pronounce "contessa"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "contessa" is /kənˈtɛsə/. 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 "contessa"?
From Italian contessa. Doublet of countess. 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 "contessa", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Chiltern#53,443deceiver#53,485capsicum#53,426earphone#53,511

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list