vessel
/ˈvɛsəl/noun, verb
vessel is spelled V-E-S-S-E-L: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 19 times per million words in written English, the 4,521st most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, vessel means “Any craft designed for transportation on or in water, such as a ship, boat, or submarine” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of vessel is vessels.
How many letters and syllables are in vessel?
| Letters | 6: V-E-S-S-E-L |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 19 times per million words; the 4,521st most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with | |
| Same letters |
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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is vessel?
Vessel appears 19 times per million words in written English, the 4,521st 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 vessel?
- US /ˈvɛsəl/
- US [ˈvɛsɫ̩]
- Australia /ˈvesəl/
Vessel has 2 syllables (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-vessel.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with vessel?
One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as vessel from its last stressed vowel (/ɛsəl/):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: selves.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of vessel
- vessels plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- vesseling US, participle, present
- vesselling UK, participle, present
- vesseled US, participle, past
- vesselled UK, participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does vessel mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Any craft designed for transportation on or in water, such as a ship, boat, or submarine.
- 2
A craft designed for transportation through air or space.
- 3
obsoleteDishes and cutlery collectively, especially if made of precious metals.
- 4
A container of liquid or other substance, such as a glass, goblet, cup, bottle, bowl, or pitcher.
- 5
A person as a container of qualities or feelings.
A teacher should be a vessel of knowledge.
- 6
A tube or canal that carries fluid in an animal or plant.
Blood and lymph vessels are found in humans; xylem and phloem vessels are found in plants.
verb
- 1
To put into a vessel.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Vessel in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | vaisseau , récipient, vase |
| German | Schiff, Boot, Wasserfahrzeug , Gefäß, Behälter, Behältnis |
| Portuguese | barco, navio, embarcação , vasilha, vaso, reservatório |
| Spanish | embarcación, barco, casco, bajel , recipiente, vaso |
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 vessel come from?
Inherited from Middle English vessel, vessell (“small container”); from Old French vaissel (compare modern French vaisseau and Catalan vaixell), from Late Latin vāscellum, diminutive of vāsculum, diminutive of vās (“vase, vessel”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).