The paper is concerned with the problem of input-to- state stability (ISS) for nonlinear delay systems with large delay periods (LDP). The concepts of the length rate of LDP and the frequency of LDP are introduced. First the considered system is converted into a switched delay system which may include an unstable subsystem. Then based on a piecewise Lyapunov functional, the ISS properties of the systems are developed under the constraints of the length rate and the frequency of LDP. ISS for a special kind of nonlinear delay systems is also considered and the conditions of nonlinear matrix inequalities (NLMIs) are proposed to guarantee the ISS properties of such a system. A numerical example and an example of a series DC motor are given to s...