molest
/məˈlɛst/verb
molest is spelled M-O-L-E-S-T: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 40,267th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, molest means “To sexually assault or sexually harass” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in molest?
| Letters | 6: M-O-L-E-S-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 40,267th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
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).
How common is molest?
Molest appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 40,267th 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 molest?
- /məˈlɛst/
Molest 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-molest.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of molest
- molests present, singular, he/she/it
- molesting participle, present
- molested participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does molest mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To sexually assault or sexually harass.
- 2
datedTo annoy, trouble, or afflict.
- 3
datedTo disturb or tamper with.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Molest in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | embêter , violer, abuser |
| German | belästigen |
| Portuguese | molestar |
| Spanish | molestar , acosar , abusar sexualmente, molestar sexualmente, acosar sexualmente, apalpar indebidamente |
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 molest come from?
From Middle English molesten, from Old French molester, from Latin molestō (“to trouble, annoy, molest”), from molestus (“troublesome”), from moles (“a burden, difficulty, labor, trouble”); see mole.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).