nearest
near·est/ˈnɪɹɪst/preposition, adjective
nearest is spelled N-E-A-R-E-S-T: 7 letters and 2 syllables (near·est). It appears 13 times per million words in written English, the 5,957th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a preposition, nearest means “Closest to” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in nearest?
| Letters | 7: N-E-A-R-E-S-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: near·est |
| In writing | 13 times per million words; the 5,957th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with | |
| Same letters |
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 nearest?
Nearest appears 13 times per million words in written English, the 5,957th 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 nearest?
- UK /ˈnɪəɹɪst/
- US /ˈnɪɹɪst/
Nearest has 2 syllables, split near·est in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-nearest.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with nearest?
One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as nearest from its last stressed vowel (/ɪɹɪst/):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: eastern, earnest.
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).
What does nearest mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
preposition
- 1
Closest to.
Mercury is the planet nearest the Sun.
adjective
- 1
superlative form of near: most near
Where is the nearest bus stop?
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).