bespeak
/bɪˈspiːk/verb
bespeak is spelled B-E-S-P-E-A-K: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 18 million words in written English, the 127,184th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, bespeak means “To speak for beforehand; engage in advance; make arrangements for; order, commission, reserve or arrange for something to be made in advance” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in bespeak?
| Letters | 7: B-E-S-P-E-A-K |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 18 million words; the 127,184th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is bespeak?
Bespeak appears about once in every 18 million words in written English, the 127,184th 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 bespeak?
- /bɪˈspiːk/
Bespeak has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-bespeak.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of bespeak
- bespeaks present, singular, he/she/it
- bespeaking participle, present
- bespoke past
- bespoken participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does bespeak mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
archaicTo speak about; tell of; relate; discuss.
[They] bespoke dangers […] in order to scare the allies.
- 2
datedTo speak for beforehand; engage in advance; make arrangements for; order, commission, reserve or arrange for something to be made in advance.
- 3
To stipulate, solicit, ask for, or request, as in a favour.
to bespeak a calm hearing
- 4
archaicTo forbode; foretell.
- 5
archaicTo speak to; address.
- 6
To betoken; show; indicate; depict; foretell; suggest; allude to.
This act bespeaks his kindness.
- 7
To speak up or out; exclaim; speak.
noun
- 1
archaicA request for a specific performance; a benefit performance, by a patron.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Bespeak in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | besprechen, diskutieren, mitteilen , vorbestellen, arrangieren, im Voraus reservieren |
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 bespeak come from?
From Middle English bespeken, bispeken, from Old English *bespecan, besprecan (“to speak about, speak against, accuse of, claim at law, complain”), from Proto-West Germanic *bisprekan (“to discuss, blame”), from Proto-Germanic *bisprekaną (“to speak about, discuss, blame”), equivalent to be- + speak. Cognate with Scots bespeke (“to beseech, speak or negotiate with”), Saterland Frisian bispreke (“to discuss”), West Frisian besprekke (“to discuss”), Dutch bespreken (“to discuss, review, debate”), German besprechen (“to discuss, review, talk about”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).