Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

lesser

/ˈlɛsɚ/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.13 in modern English

Syllables: less-er
IPA: /ˈlɛsɚ/

6

Scrabble Score

6

Letters

2

Syllables

4

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Of two (or, rarely, more than two) things: the smaller in size (littler), in value, in importance etc.

adj

that which is of lesser size, quality, degree, or significance; of lower status, importance, or rank

name

Example Sentences

"lesser panda"
"lesser yellowlegs"
"The larger Sand Hill Cranes increasingly do not migrate, but almost all lesser ones do."
"Between the two men, he was clearly the lesser one."
"Into them Lesser inserts three intentionally similar heroines, annoying American expats in Cambridge, England,[ ]whose Anglophilia leads to a quite unwarranted amount of sightseeing."

Etymology

From less + -er.

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈlɛsɚ/
British English: /ˈlɛsə/

Inflected Forms

Lessers (plural)

Derived Forms

lesserness

Phrases

lesser adjutant lesser anteater Lesser Antilles lesser ape lesser arcana lesser auk lesser baby innocence lesser bandicoot rat

Frequently Paired Words

less lesser of two evils fewer

Antonyms

greater

Rhymes With

professor successor compressor dresser aggressor suppressor assessor presser oppressor messer possessor stressor

Questions

How do you pronounce lesser?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈlɛsɚ/.
What does lesser mean?: Of two (or, rarely, more than two) things: the smaller in size (littler), in value, in importance etc.
Where does lesser come from?: From less + -er.

How to pronounce lesser

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “lesser”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈlɛsɚ/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “lesser”.
Repeat and practice — Say “lesser” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.