Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

psst

/psː(t)/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.77 in modern English

Syllables: psst
IPA: /psː(t)/

6

Scrabble Score

4

Letters

1

Syllables

3

Unique Chars

Meaning

intj

Used to call animals.

intj

Used to request silence.

intj

Used to imply that the speaker is sending secret or whispered information to another person.

intj

Imitating a spray.

verb

To say psst, to get someone's attention or to communicate with them.

Informal

Example Sentences

"Psst, John, don’t tell anyone, but I’ve got lots of candy stashed away."
"and I was just rounding the fourth-floor landing when Claudia pssted at me"

Etymology

Imitative of the similar sounds people use to call animals, such as cats.

Usage

Informal

Inflected Forms

pst (alternative) pssst (alternative) pssts (present, singular) pssting (participle, present) pssted (participle, past) pssted (past)

Synonyms

shh hist ahem ahoy cooee hey heyo hoi oi oi oi yo yoohoo

Questions

How do you pronounce psst?: The recorded pronunciation is /psː(t)/.
What does psst mean?: Used to call animals.
Where does psst come from?: Imitative of the similar sounds people use to call animals, such as cats.

How to pronounce psst

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