psst
/psː(t)/interjection, verb
psst is spelled P-S-S-T: 4 letters and one syllable. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 38,416th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an interjection, psst means “Used to call animals” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in psst?
| Letters | 4: P-S-S-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 38,416th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
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).
How common is psst?
Psst appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 38,416th 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 psst?
- /psː(t)/
Psst has one syllable.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-psst.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with psst
Also written: pst.
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of psst
- pst
- pssst
- pssts present, singular, he/she/it
- pssting participle, present
- pssted participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does psst mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
interjection
- 1
Used to call animals.
- 2
Used to request silence.
- 3
Used to imply that the speaker is sending secret or whispered information to another person.
Psst, John, don’t tell anyone, but I’ve got lots of candy stashed away.
- 4
Imitating a spray.
verb
- 1
informalTo say psst, to get someone's attention or to communicate with them.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Psst in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense implying secrecy:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| Portuguese | psit |
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 psst come from?
Imitative of the similar sounds people use to call animals, such as cats.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).