pester

/ˈpɛstə(ɹ)/

//ˈpɛstə(ɹ)// verb

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

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

The verdict

“pester” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #48,966. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#48,966
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To bother, harass, or annoy persistently.

Corpus desk

Index EN-pester · pester · English

pester · rank #48,966 · 9 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #48,966
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH perusing

Nearest frequency peer: perusing (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “pester”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “pester” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

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).

pester vs Pete
50% similar
pester vs Petr
50% similar
pester vs Peter
67% similar

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

Key facts for pester
PropertyValue
Headwordpester
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈpɛstə(ɹ)/
Letters6
Frequency rank#48,966
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “pester”

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).pesterlands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “perusing” (#48,965), “Petey” (#48,967), “phonetics” (#48,968). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “pester” is #48,966. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around pester (IPA /ˈpɛstə(ɹ)/), averb. Corpus frequency is #48,966 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for pester, with forms such as "epster", "pesetr", and "pesster". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "Pete", "Petr", "Peter", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: 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… The correct English form is pester, spelled P-E-S-T-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    To bother, harass, or annoy persistently.
  2. 2
    To crowd together thickly.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. He pestered me with questions.
  2. She pestered him to help her.

Etymology

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).

Synonyms

badgerbaitbedevilbeleaguerpersecutebugbesetchevygive someone griefharassharryhoundpesterpick atplaguevex

Antonyms

get out of someone's earget out of someone's faceget up offgive someone a breakleave alonelet alonelay offtolerate

This word in other languages

atosigar(Español)belästigen(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • epster
  • pesetr
  • pesster
  • pesterr
  • pestre
  • pestter
  • petser
  • ppester
  • pseter

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of pester - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

epster2pesetr2pesster1pesterr1pestre2pestter1petser2ppester1
Edit distance from "pester"

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.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "pester"?
"pester" is spelled P-E-S-T-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpɛstə(ɹ)/.
What does "pester" mean?
As a verb, "pester" means: To bother, harass, or annoy persistently.
What words are commonly confused with "pester"?
"pester" is commonly confused with "Pete", "Petr", "Peter". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "pester"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "pester" is /ˈpɛstə(ɹ)/. 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 "pester"?
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 +... 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 "pester", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

parlay#48,956pruned#48,986Olsson#48,942nougat#48,928

Similar misspelling depth

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

Nicosia9 variantsrhesus9 variantssadism9 variantsmitral9 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list