excess
/ˈɛksɛs/noun, adjective, verb
excess is spelled E-X-C-E-S-S: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 16 times per million words in written English, the 5,025th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, excess means “The state of surpassing or going beyond a limit; the state of being beyond sufficiency, necessity, or duty; more than what is usual or proper” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of excess is excesses.
How many letters and syllables are in excess?
| Letters | 6: E-X-C-E-S-S |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 16 times per million words; the 5,025th 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 excess?
Excess appears 16 times per million words in written English, the 5,025th 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 excess?
- /ˈɛksɛs/
- /ɪkˈsɛs/
- /ɛkˈsɛs/
Excess 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-excess.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of excess
- excesses plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- excessing participle, present
- excessed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does excess mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The state of surpassing or going beyond a limit; the state of being beyond sufficiency, necessity, or duty; more than what is usual or proper.
The excess of heavy water was given away to the neighbouring country.
- 2
The degree or amount by which one thing or number exceeds another; remainder.
The difference between two numbers is the excess of one over the other.
- 3
An act of eating or drinking more than enough.
- 4
Spherical excess, the amount by which the sum of the three angles of a spherical triangle exceeds two right angles. The spherical excess is proportional to the area of the triangle.
- 5
UKA condition on an insurance policy by which the insured pays for a part of the claim.
adjective
- 1
More than is normal, necessary or specified.
verb
- 1
USTo declare (an employee) surplus to requirements, such that he or she might not be given work.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Excess in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | excès , franchise , en excès, en trop , excessif |
| German | Überfluss , Eigenbeteiligung, Selbstbeteiligung , Überschuss, Übermaß , Völlerei |
| Portuguese | excesso , excessivo , excedente |
| Spanish | exceso , deducible, franquicia , excesivo |
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 excess come from?
From Middle English exces (“excess, ecstasy”), from Old French exces, from Latin excessus (“a going out, loss of self-possession”), from excedere, excessum (“to go out, go beyond”). See exceed.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).