beast

/biːst/

//biːst// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"beast" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“beast” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #4,350. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#4,350
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An animal, especially a large or dangerous land vertebrate.

Corpus desk

Index EN-beast · beast · English

beast · rank #4,350 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #4,350
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH awkward

Nearest frequency peer: awkward (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “beast”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “beast” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

beast vs bet
60% similar
beast vs bes
60% similar
beast vs best
80% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for beast
PropertyValue
Headwordbeast
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/biːst/
Letters5
Frequency rank#4,350
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “beast”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).beastlands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “awkward” (#4,349), “beef” (#4,351), “attacking” (#4,348). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “beast” is #4,350. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around beast (IPA /biːst/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #4,350 among 4,121 “B” headwords. Wiktionary lists 10 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for beast, with forms such as "baest", "bbeast", and "beasst". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "bet", "bes", "best", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English beeste, beste, from Old French beste (French bête), from Latin bēstia (“animal, beast”); many cognates – see bēstia. The correct English form is beast, spelled B-E-A-S-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    An animal, especially a large or dangerous land vertebrate.
  2. 2
    An animal, especially a large or dangerous land vertebrate.
  3. 3
    An animal, especially a large or dangerous land vertebrate.
  4. 4
    An animal, especially a large or dangerous land vertebrate.
  5. 5
    A person who behaves in a violent, antisocial or uncivilized manner.
  6. 6
    Anything regarded as larger or more powerful than one of its normal size or strength.
  7. 7
    Someone who is particularly impressive, especially athletically or physically.
  8. 8
    A sex offender.
  9. 9
    Something unpleasant and difficult.
  10. 10
    A thing or matter, especially a difficult or unruly one.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Whatsoever parteth the hoof, and is clovenfooted, and cheweth the cud, among the beasts, that shall ye eat.
  2. […] it always had the making of a fine beast about it, but up to the time I had it up here in a stall by itself it did not get the chance to make any headway [ie, fatten], all its mates were down on it and it never seemed to fill itself. […] A big framed beast takes a lot of food — expensive food at that [—] to keep it doing […]

Etymology

From Middle English beeste, beste, from Old French beste (French bête), from Latin bēstia (“animal, beast”); many cognates – see bēstia.

This word in other languages

bestia(Español)bête(Français)Tier(Deutsch)fera(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • baest
  • bbeast
  • beasst
  • beastt
  • besat
  • ebast

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of beast - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

baest2bbeast1beasst1beastt1besat2ebast2
Edit distance from "beast"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "beast"?
"beast" is spelled B-E-A-S-T. The IPA pronunciation is /biːst/.
What does "beast" mean?
As a noun, "beast" means: An animal, especially a large or dangerous land vertebrate.
What words are commonly confused with "beast"?
"beast" is commonly confused with "bet", "bes", "best". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "beast"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "beast" is /biːst/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "beast"?
From Middle English beeste, beste, from Old French beste (French bête), from Latin bēstia (“animal, beast”); many cognates – see bēstia. See the full etymology section above for more details.
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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "beast", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

candy#4,352alien#4,347cited#4,357tiger#4,340

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).

clay6 variantsstem6 variantsdrag6 variantssauce6 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list