jester

/ˈd͡ʒɛs.tə/

//ˈd͡ʒɛs.tə// noun

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

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

The verdict

“jester” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #30,465. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#30,465
frequency rank, English
796
“J” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - One who jests, jokes or teases.

Corpus desk

Index EN-jester · jester · English

jester · rank #30,465 · 9 variants · 4 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #30,465
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 4 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 796
  • PHOTO-FINISH JAMA

Nearest frequency peer: JAMA (-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 “jester”

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

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “jester” 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).

jester vs Jeter
67% similar
jester vs jest
67% similar
jester vs Jesse
50% similar

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

Key facts for jester
PropertyValue
Headwordjester
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈd͡ʒɛs.tə/
Letters6
Frequency rank#30,465
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “jester” sits in English frequency

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).jester lands 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. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around jester (IPA /ˈd͡ʒɛs.tə/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #30,465 among 796 “J” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for jester, with forms such as "ejster", "jesetr", and "jesster". 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 4 confusable-pair relationships, "Jeter", "jest", "Jesse", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English gestour; equivalent to jest + -er. The correct English form is jester, spelled J-E-S-T-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    One who jests, jokes or teases.
  2. 2
    A person in colourful garb and fool's cap who amused a medieval and early modern royal or noble court.
  3. 3
    Any of various nymphalid butterflies of the Southeast Asian genus Symbrenthia.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. As resident jester at the maverick journalism outlet The Free Press, Nellie Bowles scours the news for the absurd and hypocritical, and then skewers the best of the worst in her column, TGIF.

Etymology

From Middle English gestour; equivalent to jest + -er.

Synonyms

buffoonclownjokerbuffoonfooljestressfiddlejesterjoculatorjoculatrixmerrymanmotley foolrailleur

This word in other languages

truhán(Español)plaisantin(Français)Spaßmacher(Deutsch)brincalhão(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ejster
  • jesetr
  • jesster
  • jesterr
  • jestre
  • jestter
  • jetser
  • jjester
  • jseter

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ejster2jesetr2jesster1jesterr1jestre2jestter1jetser2jjester1
Edit distance from "jester"

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 "jester"?
"jester" is spelled J-E-S-T-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈd͡ʒɛs.tə/.
What does "jester" mean?
As a noun, "jester" means: One who jests, jokes or teases.
What words are commonly confused with "jester"?
"jester" is commonly confused with "Jeter", "jest", "Jesse". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "jester"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "jester" is /ˈd͡ʒɛs.tə/. 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 "jester"?
From Middle English gestour; equivalent to jest + -er. 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 "jester", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Kazakh#30,471Herzog#30,447Lloyds#30,484luster#30,486

Similar misspelling depth

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

Hardin9 variantsMadeira9 variantsMcClure9 variantsforked9 variants

What to do next

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

  • "jester" maps to 4 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "Jeter". View pair
  • 9 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #30,465 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "J" letter cohort. J–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