molest

[məˈlest]

/[məˈlest]/ verb

The verdict

“molest” is uncommon German (outside the top frequency list), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency German
6
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - belästigen

Corpus desk

Index DE-molest · molest · German

molest · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "M" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Key facts for molest
PropertyValue
Headwordmolest
LanguageGerman
Part of speechVerb
IPA[məˈlest]
Letters6
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Langschwanz-Rang von „molest“ im Deutschen

molestliegt außerhalb der 100.000 häufigsten deutschen Wörter, im Langschwanz technischer, archaischer oder seltener Formen, genau dort, wo Schreibzweifeln zuschlagen.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

molest is uncommon German outside the top frequency list, classed as averb, transcribed [məˈlest]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

No misspelling variants are generated for molest in our index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct German form is molest, spelled M-O-L-E-S-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    belästigen
  2. 2
    sexuell bedrängen, belästigen, missbrauchen
  3. 3
    quälen, peinigen, schikanieren

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how molest appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. "But these were the first sharks that had been observed by the Pequod since the White Whale had been first descried; and whether it was that Ahab's crew were all such tiger-yellow barbarians, and therefore their flesh more musky to the senses of the sharks--a matter sometimes well known to affect them,--however it was, they seemed to follow that one boat…
  2. "And I hereby proclaim and declare, that if any person, under the pretended authority of said States, or under any other pretense, shall molest a vessel of the United States, or the persons or cargo on board of her, such person will be held amenable to the laws of the United States for the prevention and punishment of piracy."

Synonyms

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "molest"?
"molest" is spelled M-O-L-E-S-T. The IPA pronunciation is [məˈlest].
What does "molest" mean?
As a verb, "molest" means: belästigen
How do you pronounce "molest"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "molest" is [məˈlest]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "molest" come from?
"molest" is a German word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list