deaconess

/ˌdiːkəˈnɛs/

//ˌdiːkəˈnɛs// noun

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

"deaconess" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“deaconess” is uncommon English (frequency #62,824 among 3,470 “D” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#62,824
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A non-clerical role for women in some churches.

Corpus desk

Index EN-deaconess · deaconess · English

deaconess · rank #62,824 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #62,824
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH dearie

Nearest frequency peer: dearie (+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 “deaconess”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for deaconess
PropertyValue
Headworddeaconess
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌdiːkəˈnɛs/
Letters9
Frequency rank#62,824
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “deaconess” in English

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).deaconessfalls 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: “dearie” (#62,825), “dawa” (#62,822), “Davinci” (#62,821). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “deaconess” is #62,824. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

deaconess is uncommon English at frequency #62,824 among 3,470 “D” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˌdiːkəˈnɛs/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 5 senses are on record.

No misspelling variants are generated for deaconess in our index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: Inherited from Middle English dekenesse; equivalent to deacon + -ess. The correct English form is deaconess, spelled D-E-A-C-O-N-E-S-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    A non-clerical role for women in some churches.
  2. 2
    A female deacon.
  3. 3
    A female servant in the early Christian church.
  4. 4
    The nun in charge of the altar in a convent.
  5. 5
    One of an order of women in some Protestant churches who nurse the sick and tend the poor.

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English dekenesse; equivalent to deacon + -ess.

This word in other languages

diácona(Español)diaconesse(Français)Diakonin(Deutsch)

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 "deaconess"?
"deaconess" is spelled D-E-A-C-O-N-E-S-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌdiːkəˈnɛs/.
What does "deaconess" mean?
As a noun, "deaconess" means: A non-clerical role for women in some churches.
How do you pronounce "deaconess"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "deaconess" is /ˌdiːkəˈnɛs/. 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 "deaconess"?
Inherited from Middle English dekenesse; equivalent to deacon + -ess. 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 "deaconess", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

cunningly#62,813Dravidian#62,852collegial#62,785enchilada#62,871

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list