accost
ac·cost/əˈkɔst/verb, noun
accost is spelled A-C-C-O-S-T: 6 letters and 2 syllables (ac·cost). It appears about once in every 11 million words in written English, the 99,289th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, accost means “To approach and speak to boldly or aggressively, as with a demand or request” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in accost?
| Letters | 6: A-C-C-O-S-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: ac·cost |
| In writing | about once in every 11 million words; the 99,289th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is accost?
Accost appears about once in every 11 million words in written English, the 99,289th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce accost?
- US /əˈkɔst/
- /əˈkɑst/
- UK /əˈkɒst/
Accost has 2 syllables, split ac·cost in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-accost.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with accost?
5 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as accost from its last stressed vowel (/ɔst/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of accost
- accosts present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- accosting participle, present
- accosted participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does accost mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To approach and speak to boldly or aggressively, as with a demand or request.
A beggar accosted me as soon as I stepped outside.
- 2
obsoleteTo join side to side; to border.
- 3
obsoleteTo sail along the coast or side of.
- 4
obsoleteTo approach; to come up to.
- 5
To speak to first; to address; to greet.
- 6
obsoleteTo adjoin; to lie alongside.
- 7
To assault.
- 8
To solicit sexually.
noun
- 1
rareAddress; greeting.
- 2
An attack.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Accost in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | accoster , aborder |
| German | bedrängen |
| Portuguese | abordar , acostar |
| Spanish | embestir, acometer |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does accost come from?
From Middle French accoster, acoster, from Old French acoster (“to stand beside”) (whence Medieval Latin accostare), from Old French a- + coste (“side, flank”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).