pester
/ˈpɛstɚ/verb, noun
pester is spelled P-E-S-T-E-R: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 48,775th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, pester means “To bother, harass, or annoy persistently” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in pester?
| Letters | 6: P-E-S-T-E-R |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 3 million words; the 48,775th 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 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 pester?
Pester appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 48,775th 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 pester?
- UK /ˈpɛstə(ɹ)/
- US /ˈpɛstɚ/
- US [ˈpʰɛstɚ]
Pester 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-pester.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with pester?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as pester from its last stressed vowel (/ɛstəɹ/):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: preset.
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 pester
- pesters present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- pestering participle, present
- pestered participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does pester mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To bother, harass, or annoy persistently.
He pestered me with questions.
- 2
obsoleteTo crowd together thickly.
noun
- 1
A bother or nuisance.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Pester in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense to annoy persistently:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | importuner, harceler, tourmenter |
| German | belästigen, behelligen |
| Portuguese | atazanar |
| Spanish | atosigar, molestar, dar la tabarra, jorobar, importunar, fastidiar |
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 pester come from?
In the senses of “overcrowd (a place)” and “impede (a person)”: from Middle French and Old French empestrer (“encumber”), influenced by English pest. The modern sense is an extension of the sense “infest”. Comparable to English construction pest + -er (used to form frequentative verbs).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).