Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

eszett

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 0.00 in modern English

Syllables: es-zett
IPA

15

Scrabble Score

6

Letters

2

Syllables

4

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

The name of the Latin script letter ẞ/ß.

Example Sentences

"In fits of concealed despair that went unnoticed even by those close enough to touch, Julien cursed the language of umlauts, eszetts, and gerunds."
"In German, the ß character is called eszett. It’s used in “Straße,” the word for street, and in the expletive “Scheiße.” It’s often transliterated as “ss,” and strangely enough, it’s never had an official uppercase counterpart. […] At a 1903 typography conference, attendees decided that they would use lowercase eszett and substitute “SZ” for uppercase instances of the letter, until they could figure out a proper design for it."

Etymology

Borrowed from German Eszett, from the names of the letters S and Z which make up its blackletter form.

Inflected Forms

eszetts (plural)

Synonyms

double S sharp s

Questions

What does eszett mean?: The name of the Latin script letter ẞ/ß.
Where does eszett come from?: Borrowed from German Eszett, from the names of the letters S and Z which make up its blackletter form.

How to pronounce eszett

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