vest-pocket

adj

"vest-pocket" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“vest-pocket” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
11
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Small enough to be carried in a vest pocket or other small container.

Corpus desk

Index EN-vest-pocket · vest-pocket · English

vest-pocket · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "V" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for vest-pocket
PropertyValue
Headwordvest-pocket
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
Letters11
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “vest-pocket” in English

vest-pocketfalls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

vest-pocket is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

vest-pocket has no tracked misspelling variants, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From vest + pocket, referring to the pockets of a suit vest, which are only sized to hold watches, handkerchiefs, wallets, and similarly small items. The correct English form is vest-pocket, spelled V-E-S-T---P-O-C-K-E-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Small enough to be carried in a vest pocket or other small container.
  2. 2
    Smaller than would ordinarily be expected.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. She carried a vest-pocket copy of the New Testament in her purse at all times.
  2. Levi's apartment was a vest-pocket Graceland; every inch of wall and shelf space was covered by Elvis memorabilia.

Etymology

From vest + pocket, referring to the pockets of a suit vest, which are only sized to hold watches, handkerchiefs, wallets, and similarly small items.

Synonyms

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "vest-pocket"?
"vest-pocket" is spelled V-E-S-T---P-O-C-K-E-T.
What does "vest-pocket" mean?
As an adjective, "vest-pocket" means: Small enough to be carried in a vest pocket or other small container.
What is the origin of the word "vest-pocket"?
From vest + pocket, referring to the pockets of a suit vest, which are only sized to hold watches, handkerchiefs, wallets, and similarly small items. 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list