gest

/d͡ʒɛst/

//d͡ʒɛst// noun

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

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

The verdict

“gest” is uncommon English (frequency #91,561 among 2,313 “G” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#91,561
frequency rank, English
2,313
“G” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A story or adventure; a verse or prose romance.

Corpus desk

Index EN-gest · gest · English

gest · rank #91,561 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #91,561
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,313
  • PHOTO-FINISH gerund

Nearest frequency peer: gerund (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “gest”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “gest” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for gest
PropertyValue
Headwordgest
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/d͡ʒɛst/
Letters4
Frequency rank#91,561
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “gest” in English

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

#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. Rare peers in the same band: “gerund” (#91,560), “gentamicin” (#91,559), “gestion” (#91,563). Among 2,313 “G” headwords, “gest” is #91,561. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

gest is uncommon English at frequency #91,561 among 2,313 “G” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /d͡ʒɛst/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for gest, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Middle French geste. Doublet of jest. The correct English form is gest, spelled G-E-S-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    A story or adventure; a verse or prose romance.
  2. 2
    An action represented in sports, plays, or on the stage; show; ceremony.
  3. 3
    Bearing; deportment.
  4. 4
    A gesture or action.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The tales of Robin Hood, or the gests written by Ariost the Italian in his booke intituled Orlando furioso.
  2. Who faire them quites, as him beseemed best, And goodly gan discourse of many a noble gest.

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French geste. Doublet of jest.

This word in other languages

geste(Français)

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 "gest"?
"gest" is spelled G-E-S-T. The IPA pronunciation is /d͡ʒɛst/.
What does "gest" mean?
As a noun, "gest" means: A story or adventure; a verse or prose romance.
How do you pronounce "gest"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "gest" is /d͡ʒɛst/. 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 "gest"?
Borrowed from Middle French geste. Doublet of jest. 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 "gest", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

gein#91,557gars#91,551garn#91,550gali#91,541

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list