poetess

/ˌpəʊ.ɪˈtɛs/

//ˌpəʊ.ɪˈtɛs// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

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

The verdict

“poetess” is uncommon English (frequency #94,132 among 46,516 “P” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#94,132
frequency rank, English
46,516
“P” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A female poet.

Key facts for poetess
PropertyValue
Headwordpoetess
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌpəʊ.ɪˈtɛs/
Letters7
Frequency rank#94,132
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “poetess” 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). poetess lands here:

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

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

Rare enough to double-check

poetess is uncommon English at frequency #94,132 among 46,516 “P” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˌpəʊ.ɪˈtɛs/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A female poet.".

poetess doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. Our dataset records no confusable match here, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From poet + -ess. Compare Middle English poetresse (“poetess”). The correct English form is poetess, spelled P-O-E-T-E-S-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    A female poet.

Etymology

From poet + -ess. Compare Middle English poetresse (“poetess”).

Synonyms

poetress

This word in other languages

poetisa(Español)poétesse(Français)Dichterin(Deutsch)poetisa(Português)

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 "poetess"?
"poetess" is spelled P-O-E-T-E-S-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌpəʊ.ɪˈtɛs/.
What does "poetess" mean?
As a noun, "poetess" means: A female poet.
How do you pronounce "poetess"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "poetess" is /ˌpəʊ.ɪˈtɛs/. 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 "poetess"?
From poet + -ess. Compare Middle English poetresse (“poetess”). 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 “poetess”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is P-O-E-T-E-S-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˌpəʊ.ɪˈtɛs/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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