lesson
les·son/ˈlɛs.ən/noun, verb
lesson is spelled L-E-S-S-O-N: 6 letters and 2 syllables (les·son). It appears 30 times per million words in written English, the 3,161st most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). People search “lessen vs lesson” about 90 times a month (Google, United States). As a noun, lesson means “A section of learning or teaching into which a wider learning content is divided” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of lesson is lessons.
How many letters and syllables are in lesson?
| Letters | 6: L-E-S-S-O-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: les·son |
| In writing | 30 times per million words; the 3,161st most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Pairs people search | |
| Sounds like |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026).
How common is lesson?
Lesson appears 30 times per million words in written English, the 3,161st 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 lesson?
- /ˈlɛs.ən/
- [ˈlɛs.n̩]
Lesson has 2 syllables, split les·son in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-uk-lesson.ogg, En-us-lesson.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with lesson
Word pairs people search, with the monthly searches for “a vs b” (G: Google, B: Bing, United States).
Sounds like: lessen (Wiktionary's homophone list; some hold only in some accents).
Sources: Google and Bing searches (September 2025 to August 2026, through DataForSEO); English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of lesson
- lessons present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- lessoning participle, present
- lessoned participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does lesson mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A section of learning or teaching into which a wider learning content is divided.
In our school a typical working week consists of around twenty lessons and ten hours of related laboratory work.
- 2
A learning task assigned to a student; homework.
- 3
Something learned or to be learned.
Nature has many lessons to teach to us.
- 4
Something that serves as a warning or encouragement.
I hope this accident taught you a lesson!
- 5
A section of the Bible or other religious text read as part of a divine service.
Here endeth the first lesson.
- 6
A severe lecture; reproof; rebuke; warning.
- 7
An exercise; a composition serving an educational purpose; a study.
verb
- 1
To give a lesson to; to teach.
- 2
archaicTo instruct to teach.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Lesson in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | leçon , devoirs , lecture |
| German | Lehrstunde, Stunde, Lektion, Unterricht , Schularbeit, Hausaufgabe |
| Portuguese | lição , tarefa |
| Spanish | lección |
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 lesson come from?
From Middle English lessoun, from Old French leçon, from Latin lēctiō, lēctiōnem (“a reading”), from legō (“to read; to gather”). Doublet of lection.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).