asses vs assess

Asses and assess look and sound similar but serve different roles: assess is a verb (to evaluate), while asses is the plural noun (donkeys or crude slang for buttocks). Read the short rules and many direct corrections to spot and fix errors quickly.

Quick answer

Use assess (verb) when you mean "evaluate." Use asses only when you literally mean multiple donkeys or, in informal speech, the crude plural of "ass." In professional writing, choose assess unless you truly mean the noun.

Assess = verb: We will assess the proposal.
Asses = plural noun: Two asses blocked the road (donkeys or slang).
If you're unsure, most formal sentences need assess.

Core explanation: what each word is

Assess is a verb: assess, assesses, assessed, assessing. It usually takes an object: assess the risk, assess her performance.

Asses is the plural of the noun ass (animal or slang for buttocks). The two forms differ by one letter, so typos are common.

Verb check: can you place "to" before it? "to assess" → verb.
Noun check: does the sentence name animals or anatomy? Then asses may be right, though rephrasing is usually better.

Wrong: She will asses the candidates tomorrow.
Right: She will assess the candidates tomorrow.

How to spot the mistake fast

Look for an object after the word. If something is being evaluated, you almost always need assess. If the word follows he/she/it and looks like a verb, a missing e often signals a typo (she assesses vs she asses).

Insert "to": if "to assess" fits, use assess.
If the sentence clearly names animals or an anatomy reference and you intend that meaning, asses is correct-but consider a neutral term in formal writing.
Search your document for plain occurrences of "asses" to catch likely errors quickly.

Wrong: The inspector asses each shipment on arrival.
Right: The inspector assesses each shipment on arrival.
Wrong: They were laughing at two asses in the field (meant: donkeys).
Right: They were laughing at two donkeys in the field.

Examples: common wrong/right pairs (work, school, casual)

Compact wrong/right pairs you can copy directly. Context helps decide the correct form.

Work - Wrong: They will asses the vendor proposals next Wednesday.
Work - Right: They will assess the vendor proposals next Wednesday.
Work - Wrong: Can you asses the budget impact by Friday?
Work - Right: Can you assess the budget impact by Friday?
Work - Wrong: The manager asses the team's output each month.
Work - Right: The manager assesses the team's output each month.
School - Wrong: The teacher forgot to asses the lab reports.
School - Right: The teacher forgot to assess the lab reports.
School - Wrong: We need to asses source credibility for our essay.
School - Right: We need to assess the credibility of each source for our essay.
School - Wrong: The rubric asses participation and written work.
School - Right: The rubric assesses participation and written work.
Casual - Wrong: He kept laughing at their asses at the party.
Casual - Right: He kept laughing at them at the party.
Casual - Wrong: Those asses blocked the driveway again.
Casual - Right: Those people blocked the driveway again.
Casual - Wrong: Don't asses me by my worst day.
Casual - Right: Don't assess me by my worst day.

Rewrite help: edit your sentence (multiple compact rewrites)

Replace unintended asses with assess, and when the noun is meant, choose a neutral or specific alternative for tone and clarity.

If you meant the verb, replace asses with assess and check surrounding words.
If you meant the noun, prefer donkey, backside, rear, or buttocks as appropriate.

Rewrite:
Original: The team will asses our Q2 performance next week.
Rewrite: The team will assess our Q2 performance next week.
Rewrite:
Original: Please asses whether this source is reliable.
Rewrite: Please assess whether this source is reliable and summarize your findings.
Rewrite:
Original: She fell and landed on her asses.
Rewrite: She fell and landed on her backside.
Rewrite:
Original: He called them asses during the meeting.
Rewrite: He criticized their behavior during the meeting.
Rewrite:
Original: The two asses dragged the wagon (meant: donkeys).
Rewrite: Two donkeys dragged the wagon.
Rewrite:
Original: Don't asses me based on my last report.
Rewrite: Don't evaluate me solely on my last report.

Real usage and tone: concise examples for work, school, casual

Use assess for evaluations in formal writing. Asses appears in slang or literal animal references; avoid it in professional messages.

Work: Please assess the compliance risk and send a one-page summary.
Work: The consultant will assess system performance next month.
Work: We need someone to assess the legal exposure before signing.
School: The professor will assess draft theses for structure and argument.
School: As part of peer review, assess each source's reliability.
School: The TA assesses lab notebooks weekly.
Casual: He shouted "asses!" at the people blocking the path (crude slang).
Casual: I tripped and fell on my backside. (polite alternative)
Casual: They acted like asses, so I left. (slang; avoid in formal messages)

Try your own sentence

Test the whole sentence in context rather than the single word. Context usually makes the correct form obvious.

Memory trick

Mnemonic: assess has two S's for "study" and "score" (actions); asses is the plural noun. Insert "to" (to assess) or test third-person (he assesses) to decide quickly.

Think "assess = action" (two S's = doing).
Before sending, search the document for "asses" - most hits in professional writing should be assess.

Check: "We need to ___ the report." Insert "to" → "to assess" (verb) → use assess.

Grammar notes: conjugation, contractions, and search tips

Conjugation: I/you/we/they assess; he/she/it assesses; past = assessed; continuous = assessing. Third-person singular adds -es: assesses.

Watch transcription or OCR errors that split or hyphenate the word and create false forms like as-sess or as sess.

Search for "asses" and inspect each instance-most should be assess in formal writing.
Watch for contractions or sloppy typing that produce odd sequences: "she'd assessed" vs "shed asses".
Third-person singular: she assesses (not she asses).

Wrong: She asses the report every Friday.
Right: She assesses the report every Friday.

Hyphenation & spacing: tiny formatting issues that hide mistakes

Neither asses nor assess is hyphenated. If you see as-sess, as sess, or asses- it's usually an OCR or formatting error.

Double spaces or line breaks can disguise the word. A case-insensitive search for both forms is the quickest fix.

Fix OCR: "as-sess" → "assess".
Search for broken forms like "as " followed by "sess".
Run a single-editor search across the whole document before finalizing.

Usage: Bad OCR: The report said to as-sess the data. Correct: The report said to assess the data.

Similar mistakes to watch

Closely related errors include access, assets, obsess, and assume. A single typo can change meaning completely, so check context whenever a hit looks odd.

assess vs access: access = entry or approach; assess = evaluate.
assess vs assets: assets = resources; assess = evaluate.
obsess vs assess: check whether the sentence describes fixation (obsess) or evaluation (assess).

Wrong: We need to asses the customer data to check assets.
Right: We need to assess the customer data to check assets.
Wrong: Make sure you have access the file to asses it.
Right: Make sure you have access to the file to assess it.

FAQ

Is "asses" ever correct?

Yes. Asses is the plural of ass (donkey or crude slang for buttocks). In formal writing you almost never need this word; if you mean "evaluate," use assess.

Which is correct: she asses or she assesses?

She assesses is correct. Third-person singular verbs need -es: he/she/it assesses.

Why do I keep typing "asses" instead of "assess"?

They look and sound similar. Slow down, use the "insert to" trick, and run a document-wide search for "asses" to catch repeats.

Can I use a different word instead of the noun "asses"?

Yes. For anatomy, use backside, rear, or buttocks. For animals, use donkeys. These choices avoid crude slang in formal contexts.

Quick fix before sending an important email-what should I do?

Search your message for both "asses" and "assess" (case-insensitive). Read each occurrence aloud and ask: am I describing an action? If yes, use assess. If not, choose a neutral noun.

Want a quick second look?

If you're unsure, paste the sentence into a checker or search your document for "asses" and "assess" and inspect each hit. A two-second check prevents embarrassing slips in emails, reports, and assignments.