pesky
/ˈpɛski/adjective
pesky is spelled P-E-S-K-Y: 5 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 1.3 times per million words in written English, the 25,367th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, pesky means “Annoying, troublesome, irritating (usually of an animal or child)” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in pesky?
| Letters | 5: P-E-S-K-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.3 times per million words; the 25,367th 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 pesky?
Pesky appears 1.3 times per million words in written English, the 25,367th 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 pesky?
- /ˈpɛski/
Pesky 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-pesky.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with pesky?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as pesky.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: skype.
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 pesky
- peskier comparative
- peskiest superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does pesky mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
informalAnnoying, troublesome, irritating (usually of an animal or child).
Stay out of my yard, you pesky kids!
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Pesky in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense annoying, troublesome, irritating:
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 pesky come from?
Possibly from pesty. Compare similar alteration between nasty and nasky.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).