best

/ˈbɛst/

//ˈbɛst// adj

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

"best" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“best” has 5 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #145. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#145
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - superlative form of good: most good.

Corpus desk

Index EN-best · best · English

best · rank #145 · 5 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-CORE #145
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 5 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH while

Nearest frequency peer: while (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “best”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “best” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

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).

best vs BS
0% similar
best vs Bt
25% similar
best vs but
50% similar

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

Key facts for best
PropertyValue
Headwordbest
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈbɛst/
Letters4
Frequency rank#145
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “best” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 5 spelling variants around best (IPA /ˈbɛst/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #145 among 4,121 “B” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for best, with forms such as "bbest", "besst", and "bestt". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "BS", "Bt", "but", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English beste, best, from Old English betst, betest, from Proto-Germanic *batistaz. Cognates Cognate with Scots best (“best”), Cimbrian peste, péste (“best”), Dutch best (“best”), German beste (“best”), Yiddish בעסט (best, “best”), Danish bedst … The correct English form is best, spelled B-E-S-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    superlative form of good: most good.
  2. 2
    Most; largest.
  3. 3
    Most superior; most favorable.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. I can either be your best friend or your worst enemy.
  2. […] when he is beſt, he is a little worſe then a man, and when he is worſt, he is little better than a beaſt:

Etymology

From Middle English beste, best, from Old English betst, betest, from Proto-Germanic *batistaz. Cognates Cognate with Scots best (“best”), Cimbrian peste, péste (“best”), Dutch best (“best”), German beste (“best”), Yiddish בעסט (best, “best”), Danish bedst (“best”), Faroese bestur (“best”), Icelandic bestur, beztur (“best”), Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk best (“best”), Swedish bäst (“best”), Gothic 𐌱𐌰𐍄𐌹𐍃𐍄𐍃 (batists, “best”).

Synonyms

optimal

Antonyms

worstbaddest

This word in other languages

mejor(Español)meilleur(Français)Beste(Deutsch)melhor(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • bbest
  • besst
  • bestt
  • bset
  • ebst

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of best - 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.

bbest1besst1bestt1bset2ebst2
Edit distance from "best"

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "best"?
"best" is spelled B-E-S-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈbɛst/.
What does "best" mean?
As an adjective, "best" means: superlative form of good: most good.
What words are commonly confused with "best"?
"best" is commonly confused with "BS", "Bt", "but". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "best"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "best" is /ˈbɛst/. 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 "best"?
From Middle English beste, best, from Old English betst, betest, from Proto-Germanic *batistaz. Cognates Cognate with Scots best (“best”), Cimbrian peste, péste (“best”), Dutch best (“best”), German beste (“best”), Yiddish בעסט (best, “best”), Dan... 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 "best", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

such#146love#147home#149last#141

Similar misspelling depth

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

look5 variantssame5 variantslife5 variantsmany5 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "best". Here's where to go from here.

  • "best" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "BS". View pair
  • 5 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #145 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "B" letter cohort. B–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list