beset
be·set/bəˈsɛt/verb
beset is spelled B-E-S-E-T: 5 letters and 2 syllables (be·set). It appears 1.2 times per million words in written English, the 26,092nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, beset means “To assail or attack (someone) from all sides; to set about” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in beset?
| Letters | 5: B-E-S-E-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: be·set |
| In writing | 1.2 times per million words; the 26,092nd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with | |
| Same letters |
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 beset?
Beset appears 1.2 times per million words in written English, the 26,092nd 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 beset?
- UK /bɪˈsɛt/
- US /bəˈsɛt/
- US /bi-/
Beset has 2 syllables, split be·set in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-beset.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Naomi_Persephone_Amethyst_(NaomiAmethyst)-beset.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with beset?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as beset from its last stressed vowel (/ɛt/):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: beest.
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 beset
- besets present, singular, he/she/it
- besetting participle, present
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does beset mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To assail or attack (someone) from all sides; to set about.
- 2
To occupy and block (an entrance, a passage, etc.), especially to prevent people from passing.
- 3
To decorate (someone or something) by surrounding with accessories, etc.
- 4
archaicFollowed by with: to encircle or surround (someone or something); to hem in.
- 5
archaicTo trap (a ship) within frozen sea; to ice in.
- 6
Of dangers, difficulties, enemies, etc.: to negatively affect (someone or something); to trouble.
- 7
archaicOf soldiers, etc.: to surround (a place) to compel surrender; to besiege.
- 8
obsoleteTo capture (an animal); to ensnare, to entrap.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Beset in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
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 beset come from?
From Middle English besetten, bisetten (“to besiege, blockade; to fill, occupy; to harass, beset; to allot, bestow; to arrange, manage; to place, set; to provide for; to treat in a certain way”), from Old English besettan, bisettan (“to surround, beset; to set near; etc.”), from Proto-West Germanic *bisattjan, from Proto-Germanic *bisatjaną (“to fill, occupy”), from *bi- (prefix meaning ‘at; by’) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₁epi (“at; near; on”)) + *satjaną (“to place down, set”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *sed- (“to sit”)).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).