priestess

/ˈpriːstɛs/

//ˈpriːstɛs// noun

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

"priestess" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“priestess” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #30,923. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#30,923
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A woman with religious duties and responsibilities in certain religions.

Corpus desk

Index EN-priestess · priestess · English

priestess · rank #30,923 · 12 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #30,923
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH popper

Nearest frequency peer: popper (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “priestess”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “priestess” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

priestess vs priests
78% similar

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

Key facts for priestess
PropertyValue
Headwordpriestess
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈpriːstɛs/
Letters9
Frequency rank#30,923
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “priestess”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).priestesslands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “popper” (#30,922), “prohibitive” (#30,924), “pomp” (#30,921). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “priestess” is #30,923. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around priestess (IPA /ˈpriːstɛs/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #30,923 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for priestess, with forms such as "pirestess", "ppriestess", and "preistess". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "priests", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From priest + -ess. Compare Middle English preesteresse (“priestess”). Piecewise doublet of presbyteress. The correct English form is priestess, spelled P-R-I-E-S-T-E-S-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    A woman with religious duties and responsibilities in certain religions.
  2. 2
    A female Christian priest or minister, typically in a Protestant, Old Catholic, or independent Catholic denomination.
  3. 3
    A priest’s wife.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how priestess appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Sir Knight, said she (whose looks, language, and gesture create strange thoughts within me) be pleased to know, that I am (I will not say the first) of those Ladies of Honour, who wait upon the high-born, illustrious, and refulgent Maulkina, Daughter to the high and mighty Prince Paraclet, Prince of No-Land, on the confines of whose Territories we now are…
  2. Among the Northern tribes also the woman was held in all moral aspects the equal of man. Alike the blue-eyed wife of the Barbarian and the proud Roman matron were, as the bearers and breeders of the race, the equals of the fighters and rulers of the race. The importance of their functions was fully recognized and respected, and the priestess at the sylvan…

Etymology

From priest + -ess. Compare Middle English preesteresse (“priestess”). Piecewise doublet of presbyteress.

This word in other languages

sacerdotisa(Español)prêtresse(Français)Priesterin(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • pirestess
  • ppriestess
  • preistess
  • priesetss
  • priesstess
  • priestes
  • priestses
  • priesttess
  • prietsess
  • prisetess
  • prriestess
  • rpiestess

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of priestess - 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.

pirestess2ppriestess1preistess2priesetss2priesstess1priestes1priestses2priesttess1
Edit distance from "priestess"

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 "priestess"?
"priestess" is spelled P-R-I-E-S-T-E-S-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpriːstɛs/.
What does "priestess" mean?
As a noun, "priestess" means: A woman with religious duties and responsibilities in certain religions.
What words are commonly confused with "priestess"?
"priestess" is commonly confused with "priests". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "priestess"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "priestess" is /ˈpriːstɛs/. 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 "priestess"?
From priest + -ess. Compare Middle English preesteresse (“priestess”). Piecewise doublet of presbyteress. 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "priestess", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

retelling#30,940reuniting#30,941northerly#30,900muttering#30,892

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

secreted12 variantssedation12 variantsshithole12 variantsmarketer12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list