Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

essayist

/ˈɛ.seɪ.ɪst/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 2.66 in modern English

Syllables: es-say-ist
IPA: /ˈɛ.seɪ.ɪst/

11

Scrabble Score

8

Letters

3

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

One who composes essays; a writer of short compositions.

Example Sentences

"She was an essayist whose frequent contributions to the editorial pages of major newspapers had a loyal following."

Etymology

Etymology tree English essay Proto-Indo-European *-id- Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-idyéti Proto-Hellenic *-íd͏̌d͏̌ō Ancient Greek -ῐ́ζω (-ĭ́zō) Proto-Hellenic *-tās Ancient Greek -τής (-tḗs) Ancient Greek -ῐστής (-ĭstḗs)bor. Latin -istader. Old French -istebor. Middle English -ist English -ist English essayist From essay + -ist.

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈɛ.seɪ.ɪst/

Inflected Forms

essayists (plural)

Derived Forms

essayistic

Phrases

video essayist

Frequently Paired Words

author novelist

Synonyms

litterateur

Questions

How do you pronounce essayist?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈɛ.seɪ.ɪst/.
What does essayist mean?: One who composes essays; a writer of short compositions.
Where does essayist come from?: Etymology tree English essay Proto-Indo-European *-id- Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-idyéti Proto-Hellenic *-íd͏̌d͏̌ō Ancient Greek -ῐ́ζω (-ĭ́zō) Proto-Hellenic *-tās Ancient Greek -τής (-tḗs) Ancient Greek -ῐστής (-ĭstḗs)bor. Latin -istader. Old French -istebor. Middle English -ist English -ist English essayist From essay + -ist.

How to pronounce essayist

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “essayist”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈɛ.seɪ.ɪst/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
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Repeat and practice — Say “essayist” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.