vest

/vɛst/

//vɛst// noun

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

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

The verdict

“vest” has 5 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #10,791. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#10,791
frequency rank, English
969
“V” headwords
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A sleeveless garment that buttons down the front, worn over a shirt, and often as part of a suit; a waistcoat.

Corpus desk

Index EN-vest · vest · English

vest · rank #10,791 · 5 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #10,791
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 5 variants
  • BOOK-MID 969
  • PHOTO-FINISH USC

Nearest frequency peer: USC (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “vest”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “vest” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

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).

vest vs vet
75% similar
vest vs vis
50% similar
vest vs VHS
0% similar

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

Key facts for vest
PropertyValue
Headwordvest
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/vɛst/
Letters4
Frequency rank#10,791
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “vest”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).vestlands 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 “USC” (#10,790), “vine” (#10,792), “unsuccessful” (#10,789). Among 969 “V” headwords, “vest” is #10,791. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 5 spelling variants around vest (IPA /vɛst/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #10,791 among 969 “V” headwords. Wiktionary lists 7 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for vest, with forms such as "evst", "vesst", and "vestt". 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, "vet", "vis", "VHS", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From French veste (“a vest, jacket”), from Latin vestis (“a garment, gown, robe, vestment, clothing, vesture”), from Proto-Indo-European *wéstis, from *wes- (“to be dressed”) (English wear). Cognate with Sanskrit वस्त्र (vastra) and Spanish vestir. The correct English form is vest, spelled V-E-S-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    A sleeveless garment that buttons down the front, worn over a shirt, and often as part of a suit; a waistcoat.
  2. 2
    A sleeveless garment, often with a low-cut neck, usually worn under a shirt or blouse.
  3. 3
    A sleeveless top, typically with identifying colours or logos, worn by an athlete or member of a sports team.
  4. 4
    Any sleeveless outer garment, often for a purpose such as identification, safety, or storage.
  5. 5
    A vestment.
  6. 6
    Clothing generally; array; garb.
  7. 7
    A loose robe or outer garment worn historically by men in Arab or Middle Eastern countries.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The Jones man was looking at her hard. Now he reached into the hatch of his vest and fetched out a couple of cigars, everlasting big ones, with gilt bands on them.
  2. He gripped some of the shreds and pulled off his vest and the shirt beneath it, his clothing disintegrating around him. What in the hell point was there in wearing a twenty-five-pound bulletproof vest if you could still get gunned to death?

Etymology

From French veste (“a vest, jacket”), from Latin vestis (“a garment, gown, robe, vestment, clothing, vesture”), from Proto-Indo-European *wéstis, from *wes- (“to be dressed”) (English wear). Cognate with Sanskrit वस्त्र (vastra) and Spanish vestir.

This word in other languages

chaleco(Español)gilet(Français)Weste(Deutsch)colete(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • evst
  • vesst
  • vestt
  • vset
  • vvest

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of vest - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

evst2vesst1vestt1vset2vvest1
Edit distance from "vest"

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 "vest"?
"vest" is spelled V-E-S-T. The IPA pronunciation is /vɛst/.
What does "vest" mean?
As a noun, "vest" means: A sleeveless garment that buttons down the front, worn over a shirt, and often as part of a suit; a waistcoat.
What words are commonly confused with "vest"?
"vest" is commonly confused with "vet", "vis", "VHS". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "vest"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "vest" is /vɛst/. 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 "vest"?
From French veste (“a vest, jacket”), from Latin vestis (“a garment, gown, robe, vestment, clothing, vesture”), from Proto-Indo-European *wéstis, from *wes- (“to be dressed”) (English wear). Cognate with Sanskrit वस्त्र (vastra) and Spanish vestir. 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 "vest", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

vine#10,792ants#10,807atom#10,813pact#10,740

Similar misspelling depth

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

Jeep5 variantsknot5 variantslust5 variantsmayo5 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list