hiss
/hɪs/noun, verb
hiss is spelled H-I-S-S: 4 letters and one syllable. It appears 1.1 times per million words in written English, the 27,150th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, hiss means “A sibilant sound, such as that made by a snake or escaping steam; an unvoiced fricative” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of hiss is hisses.
How many letters and syllables are in hiss?
| Letters | 4: H-I-S-S |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.1 times per million words; the 27,150th 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 hiss?
Hiss appears 1.1 times per million words in written English, the 27,150th 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 hiss?
- /hɪs/
Hiss 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: En-us-hiss.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of hiss
- hisses plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- hissing participle, present
- hissed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does hiss mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A sibilant sound, such as that made by a snake or escaping steam; an unvoiced fricative.
- 2
An expression of disapproval made using such a sound.
verb
- 1
To make a hiss, a sibilant sound of air escaping.
As I started to poke it, the snake hissed at me.
- 2
To call someone by hissing.
- 3
To condemn or express contempt (for someone or something) by hissing.
The crowd booed and hissed her off the stage.
- 4
To utter (something) with a hissing sound.
- 5
To move with a hissing sound.
The arrow hissed through the air.
- 6
To emit or eject (something) with a hissing sound.
- 7
To whisper, especially angrily or urgently.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Hiss in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | sifflement , siffler |
| German | Zischen, Fauchen , Knurren , zischen, fauchen |
| Portuguese | sibilo, silvo , sibilar, silvar |
| Spanish | siseo , sisear |
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 hiss come from?
From Middle English hissen, probably of onomatopoeic origin (compare Arabic هَسْهَسَ (hashasa)). Compare Middle Dutch hissen, hisschen (“to chase away, shoo”), Middle Low German hissen (“to chase, hound, incite”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).