Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

actress

/ˈæk.tɹɪs/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: 4.45 in modern English

Syllables: act-ress
IPA: /ˈæk.tɹɪs/

9

Scrabble Score

7

Letters

2

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A female who performs on the stage or in films.

noun

A female doer or "actor" (in a general sense).

Archaic

Example Sentences

"A while ago somewhere I don't know when / I was watchin' a movie with a friend / I fell in love with the actress / She was playin' a part that I could understand"
""I'm an actress -- actor, as we have to say these days.""
"Court documents appear to show that Ian Edmondson, a senior News of the World journalist, had authorised Mr Mulcaire to hack phones belonging to Sienna Miller, an actress."
"My mental anguish, and the dreadful scenes in which I had been an actress, advanced the period of my labour."

Etymology

From actor + -ess. Probably formed independently of Middle French actrice.

Word Breakdown

Suffix: actor

Usage

Archaic

Inflected Forms

actresses (plural) actoress (alternative, nonstandard)

Derived Forms

actressy blacktress

Phrases

adult actress as the actress said to the bishop as the bishop said to the actress said the actress to the bishop said the bishop to the actress character actress live actress mattress actress

Frequently Paired Words

actrix

Synonyms

actorine actrice

Questions

How do you pronounce actress?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈæk.tɹɪs/.
What does actress mean?: A female who performs on the stage or in films.
Where does actress come from?: From actor + -ess. Probably formed independently of Middle French actrice.

How to pronounce actress

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