Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

pert

/pɝt/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.59 in modern English

Syllables: pert
IPA: /pɝt/

6

Scrabble Score

4

Letters

1

Syllables

4

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

adj

Well-formed; shapely.

adj

Lively; alert and cheerful; bright.

adj

Especially of children or social inferiors: cheeky, impertinent.

Archaic

adj

Open; evident; unhidden.

Obsolete

adj

Obsolete

verb

To behave with pertness; to misbehave.

Intransitive verb; Obsolete

noun

An impudent person.

Obsolete

Example Sentences

"pert breasts"
"Goe Philoſtrate, / Stirre vp the Athenian youth to merriments, / Awake the peart and nimble ſpirit of mirth, / Turne melancholy foorth to funerals: […]"
"He was instantly attracted to Gladys's pert, fey humor and her good nature."
"Says Mrs. Jervis, Pamela, don’t be pert to his Honour? You ſhould know your Diſtance; you ſee his Honour was only in Jeſt."
"[T]he Major began to think that Pen was growing exceedingly pert and conceited, and that the world made a great deal too much of him."
"[…]so that I couldn't help telling her, sir, that in our country, leastways in Virginia (they say the Yankees are very pert), young people don't speak of their elders so."

Etymology

From Middle English pert, perte, aphetic form of apert.

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: pert

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /pɝt/
British English: /pɜːt/

Usage

Inflected Forms

perter (comparative) pertest (superlative) perts (present, singular) perting (participle, present) perted (participle, past) perted (past) perts (plural)

Derived Forms

overpert pertie pertish pertly pertness pertty perty

Phrases

pert as a pearmonger sea-pert PERT chart

Synonyms

audacious bold get wise bold-faced bold as brass brassy malapert brazen brazen-faced cheeky chutzpadik cocket

Rhymes With

hurt shirt alert dirt insert skirt kurt dessert assert flirt bert burt

Questions

How do you pronounce pert?: The recorded pronunciation is /pɝt/.
What does pert mean?: Attractive.
Where does pert come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce pert

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