ess
/ˈɛs/noun, verb, particle
ess is spelled E-S-S: 3 letters and one syllable. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 36,176th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, ess means “The name of the Latin script letter S/s” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of ess is esses.
How many letters and syllables are in ess?
| Letters | 3: E-S-S |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 36,176th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is ess?
Ess appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 36,176th 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 ess?
- /ˈɛs/
Ess has one syllable (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: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl--ess.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-ess.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with ess
Also written: es.
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with ess?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as ess.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: ses.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of ess
- esses plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- es
- essing participle, present
- essed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does ess mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The name of the Latin script letter S/s.
- 2
Something shaped like the letter S. (See esses)
verb
- 1
To move in a changing direction, forming the shape of a letter S.
particle
- 1
Yes.
Overheard in Cornwall: 'Oh, ess, diden' ee know I gived up keepin' ducks? They wus allus comin' 'ome lost'.
noun
- 1
Initialism of evolutionarily stable strategy
- 2
Initialism of electronic switching system.
- 3
Abbreviation of energy storage system.
- 4
Initialism of employee self-service.
- 5
Initialism of earth system science.
- 6
Initialism of explained sum of squares.
- 7
Initialism of euthyroid sick syndrome.
- 8
Initialism of electronic still store.
noun
- 1
Alternative letter-case form of ess.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Ess in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | -esse, -euse, -e , esse |
| German | -in (-trix f, -öse f) |
| Portuguese | -a, -esa , esse |
| Spanish | ese |
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.