essay
/ˈɛs.eɪ/noun, verb
essay is spelled E-S-S-A-Y: 5 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 17 times per million words in written English, the 4,838th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, essay means “A written composition of moderate length, exploring a particular issue or subject” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of essay is essays.
How many letters and syllables are in essay?
| Letters | 5: E-S-S-A-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 17 times per million words; the 4,838th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Sounds like | |
| Rhymes with |
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 essay?
Essay appears 17 times per million words in written English, the 4,838th 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 essay?
- US /ˈɛs.eɪ/
- /ɛˈseɪ/
As a verb (“To attempt or try”): /ɛˈseɪ/.
Essay 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-essay.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with essay
Sounds like: SA, ese (Wiktionary's homophone list; some hold only in some accents).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with essay?
2 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as essay from its last stressed vowel (/ɛseɪ/):
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 essay
- essays plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- essaying participle, present
- essayed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does essay mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A written composition of moderate length, exploring a particular issue or subject.
- 2
obsoleteA test, experiment; an assay.
- 3
archaicAn attempt.
- 4
A proposed design for a postage stamp or a banknote.
verb
- 1
datedTo attempt or try.
Shall we essay a walk on the promenade?
- 2
To move forth, as into battle.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Essay in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense written composition:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | essai, rédaction, dissertation |
| German | Aufsatz, Essay |
| Portuguese | ensaio, redação |
| Spanish | ensayo, redacción, monografía, composición escrita |
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 essay come from?
Since late 16th century, borrowed from Middle French essay, essai (“essay”), meaning coined by Montaigne at the same time, from the same words with the earlier meanings 'experiment; assay; attempt', from Old French essay, essai, assay, assai, from Latin exagium (“weight; weighing, testing on the balance”), from exigere + -ium.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).