psst

/psːː(t)/

//psːː(t)// intj

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

"psst" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“psst” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #38,565) as an interjection. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#38,565
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
4
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Implies that the speaker is sending secret or whispered information to another person.

Corpus desk

Index EN-psst · psst · English

psst · rank #38,565 · 4 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #38,565
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-0 0 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-LOW 4 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH purifying

Nearest frequency peer: purifying (+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.

Frequency neighbours of confusable “psst”

Peers at similar corpus weight, separate from look-alike pairs below

corpus weight

What this shows Bars place “psst” against nearest ranked English headwords, not a reprint of the confusable-pair desk.

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).

psst vs pt
50% similar
psst vs put
50% similar
psst vs PTS
0% similar

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

Key facts for psst
PropertyValue
Headwordpsst
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechInterjection
IPA/psːː(t)/
Letters4
Frequency rank#38,565
Misspellings tracked4
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Corpus rank beside confusables of “psst”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).psstlands 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 “purifying” (#38,566), “prescriptive” (#38,563), “pram” (#38,562). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “psst” is #38,565. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for psst is neighbouring look-alikes ("pt", "put", …), not just typos; it is aninterjection pronounced /psːː(t)/. Frequency #38,565 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Gloss: "Implies that the speaker is sending secret or whispered information to another person.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 4 likely wrong-spelling variants for psst, with forms such as "ppsst", "psstt", and "psts". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "pt", "put", "PTS", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Imitative. Imitative of the similar sounds people use to call animals such as cats. The correct English form is psst, spelled P-S-S-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Implies that the speaker is sending secret or whispered information to another person.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Psst, John, don’t tell anyone, but I’ve got lots of candy stashed away.

Etymology

Imitative. Imitative of the similar sounds people use to call animals such as cats.

Synonyms

histhey

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ppsst
  • psstt
  • psts
  • spst

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of psst - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

ppsst1psstt1psts2spst2
Edit distance from "psst"

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 "psst"?
"psst" is spelled P-S-S-T. The IPA pronunciation is /psːː(t)/.
What does "psst" mean?
As an interjection, "psst" means: Implies that the speaker is sending secret or whispered information to another person.
What words are commonly confused with "psst"?
"psst" is commonly confused with "pt", "put", "PTS". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "psst"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "psst" is /psːː(t)/. 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 "psst"?
Imitative. Imitative of the similar sounds people use to call animals such as cats. 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 "psst", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

pram#38,562Opie#38,531saif#38,607slob#38,621

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list