messen

\ˈmɛsn̩\

/\ˈmɛsn̩\/ verb

The verdict

“messen” is uncommon French (outside the top frequency list), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency French
6
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - transitif Mesurer, prendre les mesures, effectuer un mesurage.

Corpus desk

Index FR-messen · messen · French

messen · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "M" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for messen
PropertyValue
Headwordmessen
LanguageFrench
Part of speechVerb
IPA\ˈmɛsn̩\
Letters6
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Longue queue: rang de « messen » en français

messenreste hors des 100.000 mots français les plus fréquents, dans la longue queue du vocabulaire technique, archaïque ou rare, là où le doute d'orthographe frappe.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

messen is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as averb, transcribed \ˈmɛsn̩\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for messen, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct French form is messen, spelled M-E-S-S-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    transitif Mesurer, prendre les mesures, effectuer un mesurage.
  2. 2
    Mesurer, avoir une certaine taille.
  3. 3
    Sich (mit jemandem) messen Se mesurer (à qqn).
  4. 4
    Toiser, regarder de haut.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Er misst die Länge des Tisches. - Il mesure la taille de la table.
  2. Das Fieber (mit einem Thermometer) messen. - Prendre la température (avec un thermomètre).

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "messen"?
"messen" is spelled M-E-S-S-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is \ˈmɛsn̩\.
What does "messen" mean?
As a verb, "messen" means: transitif Mesurer, prendre les mesures, effectuer un mesurage.
How do you pronounce "messen"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "messen" is \ˈmɛsn̩\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "messen" come from?
"messen" is a French word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list