priest
/ˈpɹiːst/noun, verb
priest is spelled P-R-I-E-S-T: 6 letters and one syllable. It appears 21 times per million words in written English, the 4,076th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, priest means “A religious clergyman (clergywoman, clergyperson) who is trained to perform services or sacrifices at a church or temple” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of priest is priests.
How many letters and syllables are in priest?
| Letters | 6: P-R-I-E-S-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 21 times per million words; the 4,076th 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 priest?
Priest appears 21 times per million words in written English, the 4,076th 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 priest?
- /ˈpɹiːst/
- [ˈpɹ̥iːst]
Priest has one syllable (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: En-us-priest.ogg, En-uk-priest.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with priest?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as priest.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: stripe, sprite, esprit, sitrep.
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 priest
- priests plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- priesting participle, present
- priested participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does priest mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A religious clergyman (clergywoman, clergyperson) who is trained to perform services or sacrifices at a church or temple.
The priest at the Catholic church heard his confession.
- 2
A blunt tool, used for quickly stunning and killing fish.
- 3
The highest office in the Aaronic priesthood.
verb
- 1
To ordain as a priest.
If there bee any lasie fellow, any that cannot away with worke, any that would wallow in pleasures, hee is hastie to be priested. And when hee is made one, and has gotten a benefice, he consorts with his neighbour priests, who are altogethe
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Priest in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense clergyman (clergywoman, clergyperson):
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | prêtre, prêtresse, sacrificateur, sacrificatrice |
| German | Priester, Priesterin, Pfarrer, Pfarrerin, Pastor, Pastorin |
| Portuguese | padre, sacerdote, presbítero |
| Spanish | sacerdote, cura, padre, párroco |
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 priest come from?
From Middle English prest, preest, from Old English prēost (“priest”), from Late Latin presbyter, from Ancient Greek πρεσβύτερος (presbúteros), from πρέσβυς (présbus, “elder, older”). Reinforced in Middle English by Old French prestre, also from Latin presbyter. Doublet of presbyter and prester.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).