# countess

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈkaʊntɪs/ · frequency rank #14,302

## Definitions
1. The wife of a count or earl.
2. A woman holding the rank of count or earl in her own right; a female holder of an earldom.

## Etymology
From Anglo-Norman cuntesse, Old French contesse, from Latin comitissa; equivalent to count + -ess. Doublet of contessa.

## Easily confused with
- **counts** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/countess-vs-counts)
- **counties** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/countess-vs-counties)
- **courtesy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/countess-vs-courtesy)
- **countless** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/countess-vs-countless)
- **contest** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/contest-vs-countess)
- **counted** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/counted-vs-countess)
- **confess** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/confess-vs-countess)

## Common misspellings (10)
`ccountess`, `conutess`, `counetss`, `counntess`, `countes`, `countses`, `counttess`, `coutness`, `cuontess`, `ocuntess`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/countess