Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

-est

/ɪst/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: 4.11 in modern English

Syllables: -est
IPA: /ɪst/

3

Scrabble Score

3

Letters

2

Syllables

3

Unique Chars

Meaning

suffix

Used to form the superlative of adjectives and adverbs.

suffix

Used to form the second-person singular present tense and past tense of verbs. (if thou is the subject; not used with you)

Archaic

Example Sentences

"longest, biggest, fastest, motliest"
"goest, makest, wentest, madest"

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *-yōs Proto-Indo-European *-tHós Proto-Indo-European *-istos Proto-Germanic *-istaz Proto-West Germanic *-ist Old English -est Middle English -est English -est From Middle English -est, from Old English -est, -ost, from Proto-West Germanic *-ist, *-ōst, from Proto-Germanic *-istaz, *-ōstaz, related to comparative -er. Cognate of Afrikaans -ste, Dutch -st, German -(e)st, Danish -(e)st, Swedish -(a)st. Via PIE cognate with Ancient Greek -ιστος (-istos), see Pleistocene, protist.

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: -est, *-ist, *-istaz, *-ōstaz, -est, -st, -est, -ast, -st, *-zi

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ɪst/
British English: /ɪst/

Usage

Archaic

Inflected Forms

-'st (alternative) -st (alternative)

Phrases

-most -eth

Frequently Paired Words

-most -er -eth thou

Homonyms

ist is't

Questions

How do you pronounce -est?: The recorded pronunciation is /ɪst/.
What does -est mean?: Used to form the superlative of adjectives and adverbs.
Where does -est come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce -est

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