distress
/dɪˈstɹɛs/noun, verb
distress is spelled D-I-S-T-R-E-S-S: 8 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 8.9 times per million words in written English, the 7,672nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, distress means “Physical or emotional discomfort, suffering, or alarm, particularly of a more acute nature” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of distress is distresses.
How many letters and syllables are in distress?
| Letters | 8: D-I-S-T-R-E-S-S |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 8.9 times per million words; the 7,672nd 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 distress?
Distress appears 8.9 times per million words in written English, the 7,672nd 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 distress?
- /dɪˈstɹɛs/
Distress 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-distress.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of distress
- distresses plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- distressing participle, present
- distressed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does distress mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Physical or emotional discomfort, suffering, or alarm, particularly of a more acute nature.
- 2
A cause of such discomfort.
- 3
Serious danger.
a ship in distress
- 4
An aversive state of stress to which a person cannot fully adapt.
- 5
A seizing of property without legal process to force payment of a debt.
- 6
The thing taken by distraining; that which is seized to procure satisfaction.
verb
- 1
To cause strain or anxiety to someone.
- 2
To retain someone’s property against the payment of a debt; to distrain.
- 3
To treat a new object to give it an appearance of age.
a pair of distressed jeans
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Distress in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | Bedrängnis, Elend, Not, Unbehagen, Kummer, Verzweiflung |
| Spanish | distrés, distress , desasosiego, sinvivir , distresar, acorar |
| French | détresse |
| Portuguese | desconforto , angustiar, afobar , perigo , penhorar , desgastar |
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 distress come from?
The verb is from Middle English distressen, from Old French destrecier (“to restrain, constrain, put in straits, afflict, distress”); compare French détresse. Ultimately from Medieval Latin as if *districtiō, an assumed frequentative form of Latin distringō (“to pull asunder, stretch out”), from dis- (“apart”) + stringō (“to draw tight, strain”). The noun is from Middle English distresse, from Old French destrece, ultimately also from Latin distringō.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).