fester
fes·ter/ˈfɛstɚ/noun, verb
fester is spelled F-E-S-T-E-R: 6 letters and 2 syllables (fes·ter). It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 38,863rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, fester means “A sore or an ulcer of the skin” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of fester is festers.
How many letters and syllables are in fester?
| Letters | 6: F-E-S-T-E-R |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: fes·ter |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 38,863rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
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 fester?
Fester appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 38,863rd 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 fester?
- British /ˈfɛstə/
- US /ˈfɛstɚ/
- Australia /ˈfestə/
Fester has 2 syllables, split fes·ter in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-uk-fester.ogg, En-au-fester.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with fester?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as fester from its last stressed vowel (/ɛstəɹ/):
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 fester
- festers plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- festering participle, present
- festered participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does fester mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
obsoleteA fistula.
- 2
A sore or an ulcer of the skin.
- 3
The condition of something that festers; a festering; a festerment.
verb
- 1
To become septic; to become rotten.
- 2
To worsen, especially due to lack of attention.
Deal with the problem immediately; do not let it fester.
- 3
To cause to fester or rankle.
For which I burnt in inward sweltring hate, / And festred rankling malice in my breast, / Till I might belke revenge upon his eyes: […]
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Fester in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense become septic or rotten:
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 fester come from?
Inherited from Middle English festre, festur, borrowed from Old French festre (cognate with Italian fistola, Occitan fistola, Spanish fístula), from Latin fistula. The verb is derived from the noun, while the “condition of something that festers” noun sense is derived from the verb. Doublet of fistula.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).