bested

/ˈbɛstɪd/

//ˈbɛstɪd// verb

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

"bested" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“bested” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #40,581. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#40,581
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - simple past and past participle of best

Corpus desk

Index EN-bested · bested · English

bested · rank #40,581 · 9 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #40,581
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH Belles

Nearest frequency peer: Belles (-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 “bested”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “bested” 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).

bested vs Bette
50% similar
bested vs bests
67% similar
bested vs better
67% similar

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

Key facts for bested
PropertyValue
Headwordbested
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈbɛstɪd/
Letters6
Frequency rank#40,581
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “bested”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).bestedlands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “Belles” (#40,580), “bicep” (#40,582), “beckons” (#40,579). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “bested” is #40,581. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around bested (IPA /ˈbɛstɪd/), averb. Corpus frequency is #40,581 among 4,121 “B” headwords. Dominant gloss: "simple past and past participle of best".

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for bested, with forms such as "bbested", "besetd", and "bessted". 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, "Bette", "bests", "better", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form. The correct English form is bested, spelled B-E-S-T-E-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    simple past and past participle of best

Etymology

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • bbested
  • besetd
  • bessted
  • bestde
  • bestedd
  • bestted
  • betsed
  • bseted
  • ebsted

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of bested - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

bbested1besetd2bessted1bestde2bestedd1bestted1betsed2bseted2
Edit distance from "bested"

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 "bested"?
"bested" is spelled B-E-S-T-E-D. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈbɛstɪd/.
What does "bested" mean?
As a verb, "bested" means: simple past and past participle of best
What words are commonly confused with "bested"?
"bested" is commonly confused with "Bette", "bests", "better". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "bested"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "bested" is /ˈbɛstɪd/. 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 "bested"?
See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form. 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 "bested", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Belles#40,580Baguio#40,575baffle#40,574awoken#40,569

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

Batavia9 variantsbulimia9 variantsattendee9 variantscanter9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list