infest
/ɪnˈfɛst/verb
infest is spelled I-N-F-E-S-T: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 50,539th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, infest means “To inhabit a place in unpleasantly large numbers; to plague, harass” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in infest?
| Letters | 6: I-N-F-E-S-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 3 million words; the 50,539th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is infest?
Infest appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 50,539th 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 infest?
- /ɪnˈfɛst/
Infest 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-infest.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with infest?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as infest.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: finest.
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 infest
- infests present, singular, he/she/it
- infesting participle, present
- infested participle, past
- more infest comparative
- most infest superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does infest mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To inhabit a place in unpleasantly large numbers; to plague, harass.
Insects are infesting my basement!
- 2
To invade a host plant or animal.
adjective
- 1
obsoleteMischievous; hurtful; harassing.
noun
- 1
obsoleteHostility.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Infest in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense to inhabit a place in large numbers:
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 infest come from?
From Middle English infesten, from Old French infester (“to infest”), from Latin īnfestō (“assail, molest”, verb), from īnfestus (“hostile”), of uncertain origin.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).