Jessica

/ˈd͡ʒɛsɪkə/

//ˈd͡ʒɛsɪkə// name

"jessica" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“Jessica” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #5,428 in English word frequency and used as a proper noun.

#5,428
frequency rank, English
7
letters
8
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A female given name from Hebrew.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

Jessica vs Jessie
71% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for Jessica
PropertyValue
HeadwordJessica
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechProper noun
IPA/ˈd͡ʒɛsɪkə/
Letters7
Frequency rank#5,428
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Jessica” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). Jessica lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for Jessica is 7 letters long, classified as a proper noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈd͡ʒɛsɪkə/. Corpus data places it at rank #5,428 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "A female given name from Hebrew.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for Jessica, with forms such as "ejssica", "jesica", and "jesisca". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "Jessie", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: First used by William Shakespeare in Merchant of Venice in the early 17th century, probably from Hebrew יִסְכָּה (yiská, “Iscah in Genesis 11:29, Jescha in the Wycliffe version”), a proper name meaning "he will see/behold/look for", the 3ms imperfect form o… The correct English form is Jessica, spelled J-E-S-S-I-C-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    A female given name from Hebrew.

Etymology

First used by William Shakespeare in Merchant of Venice in the early 17th century, probably from Hebrew יִסְכָּה (yiská, “Iscah in Genesis 11:29, Jescha in the Wycliffe version”), a proper name meaning "he will see/behold/look for", the 3ms imperfect form of a verb ultimately from the root ס־כ־ה (s-k-h), itself an alternative form of the root שׂ־כ־ה (ś-k-h), both of which mean "to see, behold, look for". * By folk etymology seen as an elaborate form of Jessie, from Jane.

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ejssica,jesica,jesisca,jesscia,jessiac,jessicca,jjessica,jsesica

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of Jessica - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

ejssica2jesica1jesisca2jesscia2jessiac2jessicca1jjessica1jsesica2
Edit distance from "Jessica"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "Jessica"?
"Jessica" is spelled J-E-S-S-I-C-A. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈd͡ʒɛsɪkə/.
What does "Jessica" mean?
As a proper noun, "Jessica" means: A female given name from Hebrew.
What words are commonly confused with "Jessica"?
"Jessica" is commonly confused with "Jessie". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Jessica"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Jessica" is /ˈd͡ʒɛsɪkə/. 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 "Jessica"?
First used by William Shakespeare in Merchant of Venice in the early 17th century, probably from Hebrew יִסְכָּה (yiská, “Iscah in Genesis 11:29, Jescha in the Wycliffe version”), a proper name meaning "he will see/behold/look for", the 3ms imperf... 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.

Using “Jessica”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is J-E-S-S-I-C-A - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈd͡ʒɛsɪkə/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “Jessie” - see the side-by-side comparison. Jessica vs Jessie
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list