rest

/ɹɛst/

//ɹɛst// noun

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

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

The verdict

“rest” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #594. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#594
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 2, 2026) - Relief from work or activity by sleeping; sleep.

Corpus desk

Index EN-rest · rest · English

rest · rank #594 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-CORE #594
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH re

Nearest frequency peer: re (-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 neighbourhood for “rest”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “rest” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 2, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

rest vs RS
0% similar
rest vs RT
0% similar
rest vs rev
50% similar

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

Key facts for rest
PropertyValue
Headwordrest
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɹɛst/
Letters4
Frequency rank#594
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “rest” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). rest lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around rest (IPA /ɹɛst/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #594 among 3,094 “R” headwords. Wiktionary lists 15 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for rest, with forms such as "erst", "resst", and "restt". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "RS", "RT", "rev", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English rest, reste, from Old English ræst, from Proto-West Germanic *rastu, from Proto-Germanic *rastō, from Proto-Indo-European *ros-, *res-, *erH- (“rest”). Cognate with West Frisian rêst (“rest”), Dutch rust (“rest”), German Rast (“rest”), S… The correct English form is rest, spelled R-E-S-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Relief from work or activity by sleeping; sleep.
  2. 2
    Any relief from exertion; a state of quiet and relaxation.
  3. 3
    Peace; freedom from worry, anxiety, annoyances; tranquility.
  4. 4
    A state of inactivity; a state of little or no motion; a state of completion.
  5. 5
    A final position after death. Also, death itself: "Not alone, not alone would I go to my rest in the heart of the love..." -- George William Russell ("Love")
  6. 6
    A pause of a specified length in a piece of music.
  7. 7
    A written symbol indicating such a pause in a musical score such as in sheet music.
  8. 8
    Absence of motion.
  9. 9
    A stick with a U-, V- or X-shaped head used to support the tip of a cue when the cue ball is otherwise out of reach.
  10. 10
    Any object designed to be used to support something else.
  11. 11
    A projection from the right side of the cuirass of armour, serving to support the lance.
  12. 12
    A place where one may rest, either temporarily, as in an inn, or permanently, as, in an abode.
  13. 13
    A short pause in reading poetry; a caesura.
  14. 14
    The striking of a balance at regular intervals in a running account. Often, specifically, the intervals after which compound interest is added to capital.
  15. 15
    A set or game at tennis.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. I need to get a good rest tonight; I was up late last night.
  2. The sun sets, and the workers go to their rest.

Etymology

From Middle English rest, reste, from Old English ræst, from Proto-West Germanic *rastu, from Proto-Germanic *rastō, from Proto-Indo-European *ros-, *res-, *erH- (“rest”). Cognate with West Frisian rêst (“rest”), Dutch rust (“rest”), German Rast (“rest”), Swedish rast (“rest”), Norwegian rest (“rest”), Icelandic röst (“rest”), Old Irish árus (“dwelling”), German Ruhe (“calm”), Albanian resht (“to stop, pause”), Welsh araf (“quiet, calm, gentle”), Lithuanian rovà (“calm”), Ancient Greek ἐρωή (erōḗ, “rest, respite”), Avestan 𐬀𐬌𐬭𐬌𐬨𐬈 (aⁱrime, “calm, peaceful”), Sanskrit रमते (rámate, “he stays still, calms down”), Gothic 𐍂𐌹𐌼𐌹𐍃 (rimis, “tranquility”). Related to roo.

Antonyms

activity

This word in other languages

reposo(Español)repos(Français)Ruhe(Deutsch)repouso(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • erst
  • resst
  • restt
  • rets
  • rrest
  • rset

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

erst2resst1restt1rets2rrest1rset2
Edit distance from "rest"

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 2, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "rest"?
"rest" is spelled R-E-S-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ɹɛst/.
What does "rest" mean?
As a noun, "rest" means: Relief from work or activity by sleeping; sleep.
What words are commonly confused with "rest"?
"rest" is commonly confused with "RS", "RT", "rev". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "rest"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "rest" is /ɹɛst/. 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 "rest"?
From Middle English rest, reste, from Old English ræst, from Proto-West Germanic *rastu, from Proto-Germanic *rastō, from Proto-Indo-European *ros-, *res-, *erH- (“rest”). Cognate with West Frisian rêst (“rest”), Dutch rust (“rest”), German Rast (... 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 "rest", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

hear#588term#600wife#601fine#586

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).

town6 variantsland6 variantsshot6 variantsyou'll6 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "rest". Here's where to go from here.

  • "rest" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "RS". View pair
  • 6 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #594 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "R" letter cohort. R–Z browse

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list