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express

Definition, pronunciation, etymology, and usage for the English word. Free spelling reference powered by Wiktionary.

Letters

7 characters

Language

English

word origin

Source

Wiktionary

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Detailed reference entry for the English word "express", 7-letters, with pronunciation in International Phonetic Alphabet notation, etymology traced through Germanic and Romance roots where applicable, common misspelling variants catalogued from Hunspell error dictionaries, and usage frequency ranked against the top 100,000 English words in the Wordfreq corpus. PlainSpell covers English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German spelling with confusable-pair detection that highlights visually and phonetically similar words. This entry for "express" includes synonyms, antonyms, homophones, and cross-language translation pointers sourced from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org extract. Whether you are verifying the correct spelling of "express" for academic writing, checking homophone confusion, or exploring etymological origins, this page provides a citation-backed, free reference that requires no sign-up.

express is anEnglishadj. It means: Moving or operating quickly, as a train not making local stops. Pronounced /ɪkˈspɹɛs/. It ranks #2,110 in English word frequency. Often confused with expressed and expressly.

Key facts for express
PropertyValue
Headwordexpress
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdj
IPA/ɪkˈspɹɛs/
Letters7
Frequency rank#2,110
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs6
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency rank visualization

Position of express in English word frequency (lower rank = more common)

Source: Wordfreq corpus

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for express is 7 letters long, classified as anadj, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ɪkˈspɹɛs/. Corpus data places it at rank #2,110 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text.Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our Hunspell-derived misspelling index lists 9 documented wrong-spelling variants for express, with forms such as "epxress", "experss", and "exppress". Each variant represents a distinct typo pattern that appears often enough in corpora to be worth flagging, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution.It also participates in 6 confusable-pair relationships, "expressed", "expressly", "excess", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From French exprès, from Latin expressus, past participle of exprimere (see Etymology 2, below). Root origin matters for spelling because borrowed morphemes (Greek, Latin, Old French, Old English) carry their source-language orthographic conventions into modern English, which is why historical etymology is often the cleanest predictor of whether a cluster like "-ough", "-eau", or "-tion" will appear. For readers arriving here from a spelling check, the authoritative guidance is: the correct English form is express, spelled E-X-P-R-E-S-S, and any other sequence of those letters, regardless of how natural it feels, is a misspelling in standard orthography.

Definition

  1. 1
    Moving or operating quickly, as a train not making local stops.
  2. 2
    Specific or precise; directly and distinctly stated; not merely implied.
  3. 3
    Truly depicted; exactly resembling.
  4. 4
    Providing a more limited but presumably faster service than a full or complete dealer of the same kind or type.

Etymology

From French exprès, from Latin expressus, past participle of exprimere (see Etymology 2, below).

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: epxress,experss,exppress,expres,exprress,exprses,exrpess,exxpress,xepress

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

Relative frequency of common misspelling types for express

Misspelling Variants of "express"

epxress7experss7exppress8expres6exprress8exprses7exrpess7exxpress8
Misspelling Variants of "express"

Frequency rank: #2,110 in English

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "express"?
"express" is spelled E-X-P-R-E-S-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪkˈspɹɛs/.
What does "express" mean?
As an adj, "express" means: Moving or operating quickly, as a train not making local stops.
What words are commonly confused with "express"?
"express" is commonly confused with "expressed", "expressly", "excess". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "express"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "express" is /ɪkˈspɹɛs/. 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 "express"?
From French exprès, from Latin expressus, past participle of exprimere (see Etymology 2, below). 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.

Nearby English words

Other entries that begin with the letter E in our English index:

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Data Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Frequency data from Wordfreq. Misspellings derived from Hunspell dictionaries.