yessir

/ˈjɛsɜː(ɹ)/

//ˈjɛsɜː(ɹ)// intj

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

"yessir" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“yessir” is uncommon English (frequency #54,579 among 366 “Y” headwords), classed as an interjection. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#54,579
frequency rank, English
366
“Y” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Used to express assent, especially to a male superior.

Corpus desk

Index EN-yessir · yessir · English

yessir · rank #54,579 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #54,579
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 366
  • PHOTO-FINISH Yeong

Nearest frequency peer: Yeong (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “yessir”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “yessir” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for yessir
PropertyValue
Headwordyessir
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechInterjection
IPA/ˈjɛsɜː(ɹ)/
Letters6
Frequency rank#54,579
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “yessir” in English

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “Yeong” (#54,578), “wriggling” (#54,577), “yucky” (#54,581). Among 366 “Y” headwords, “yessir” is #54,579. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

yessir is uncommon English at frequency #54,579 among 366 “Y” headwords, classed as aninterjection, transcribed /ˈjɛsɜː(ɹ)/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for yessir, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From yes + sir. The correct English form is yessir, spelled Y-E-S-S-I-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Used to express assent, especially to a male superior.
  2. 2
    Used to express emphatic affirmation.

Etymology

From yes + sir.

This word in other languages

jawohl(Deutsch)sim senhor(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 "yessir"?
"yessir" is spelled Y-E-S-S-I-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈjɛsɜː(ɹ)/.
What does "yessir" mean?
As an interjection, "yessir" means: Used to express assent, especially to a male superior.
How do you pronounce "yessir"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "yessir" is /ˈjɛsɜː(ɹ)/. 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 "yessir"?
From yes + sir. 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 "yessir", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

witney#54,572upturn#54,554uppity#54,553Altona#54,607

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list