pew
/pjuː/noun, verb, interjection
pew is spelled P-E-W: 3 letters and one syllable. It appears 2.6 times per million words in written English, the 16,896th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, pew means “One of the long benches in a church, seating several persons, usually fixed to the floor and facing the chancel” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of pew is pews.
How many letters and syllables are in pew?
| Letters | 3: P-E-W |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 |
| In writing | 2.6 times per million words; the 16,896th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
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 pew?
Pew appears 2.6 times per million words in written English, the 16,896th 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 pew?
- UK /pjuː/
- British /pjʉw/
- /pjʉ/
Pew has one syllable.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-pew.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with pew?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as pew from its last stressed vowel (/u/, British pronunciation):
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 pew
- pews plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- pewing participle, present
- pewed participle, past
- peeyoo
- phew
- pyew
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does pew mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
One of the long benches in a church, seating several persons, usually fixed to the floor and facing the chancel.
In many churches some pews are reserved for either clerical or liturgical officials such as canons, or for prominent families.
- 2
The congregation of a church.
- 3
An enclosed compartment in a church which provides seating for a group of people, often a prominent family.
- 4
Any structure shaped like a church pew, such as a stall, formerly used by money lenders, etc.; a box in a theatre; or a pen or sheepfold.
- 5
colloquialA chair; a seat.
Pull up a pew.
verb
- 1
To furnish with pews.
interjection
- 1
An expression of disgust in response to an unpleasant odor.
- 2
Representative of the sound made by the firing of a gun, particularly a blaster in science fiction.
noun
- 1
Initialism of pink-eyed white (mouse or rat).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Pew in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | banc de fidèle, banc d’église , banc d’œuvre, banc de l’œuvre , pouah |
| German | Kirchenbank, Bank |
| Portuguese | banco de igreja |
| Spanish | banco de iglesia , uf |
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 pew come from?
From Middle English pewe, from Old French puiee, puïe (“balustrade, balcony”), from Latin podia, plural of podium (“parapet, podium”), from Ancient Greek πόδιον (pódion, “little foot”), from πούς (poús, “foot”). Doublet of podia.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).