fissure
/ˈfɪʃ.ɚ/noun, verb
fissure is spelled F-I-S-S-U-R-E: 7 letters and 2 syllables. 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, fissure means “A long, narrow crack or opening made by breaking or splitting, especially in rock or earth” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of fissure is fissures.
How many letters and syllables are in fissure?
| Letters | 7: F-I-S-S-U-R-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (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 |
| 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 fissure?
Fissure 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 fissure?
- UK /ˈfɪʃ.ə/
- US /ˈfɪʃ.ɚ/
- US /ˈfɪʒ.ɚ/
Fissure 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: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-fissure.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with fissure
Sounds like: fisher (Wiktionary's homophone list; some hold only in some accents).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with fissure?
One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as fissure from its last stressed vowel (/ɪʃəɹ/):
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 fissure
- fissures plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- fissuring participle, present
- fissured participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does fissure mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A long, narrow crack or opening made by breaking or splitting, especially in rock or earth.
- 2
A groove, deep furrow, elongated cleft or tear between body parts or in the substance of an organ.
- 3
A break or slit in tissue usually at the junction of skin and mucous membrane.
- 4
A state of incompatibility or disagreement.
verb
- 1
To split, forming fissures.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Fissure in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | fissure |
| German | Riss, Spalte , rissig werden |
| Portuguese | fissura |
| Spanish | grieta, fisura |
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 fissure come from?
From Middle English fissure, from Old French fissure, from Latin fissūra (“a cleft, chink”), from findō (“to cleave, split, divide”) + -tūra (nominal suffix).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).