How to pronounce pest
Say it like PEST. Pest is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress.
Click the play button next to American or British to hear how to pronounce pest. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- PEST
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Pest pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- PESTSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "e" in bed.
American vs British pronunciation of pest
American and British speakers say pest in essentially the same way: /pɛst/ in the US and /pɛst/ in the UK.
British respelling: PEST.
What does pest mean?
- a serious (sometimes fatal) infection of rodents caused by Yersinia pestis and accidentally transmitted to humans by the bite of a flea that has bitten an infected animal
- any epidemic disease with a high death rate
- a persistently annoying person
Where does pest come from?
In the 16th century in the sense of "pestilence" and specifically bubonic plague from Middle French peste (“pestilence”) (whence French peste).
Similar and opposite words
Similar meaning
Words that rhyme with pest
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of pest.
Questions about saying pest
How do you pronounce pest?
Say PEST. The American pronunciation is /pɛst/. In British English it is /pɛst/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in pest?
Pest is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: PEST.
Do Americans and Brits say pest the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /pɛst/ and the British form is /pɛst/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.