west
/wɛst/noun, adjective, adverb, verb
west is spelled W-E-S-T: 4 letters and one syllable. It appears 195 times per million words in written English, the 516th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, west means “The direction opposite to that of the earth's rotation, specifically 270°” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of west is wests.
How many letters and syllables are in west?
| Letters | 4: W-E-S-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 195 times per million words; the 516th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is west?
West appears 195 times per million words in written English, the 516th 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 west?
- /wɛst/
- British /wɛst/
West has one syllable (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-uk-west.ogg, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Naomi_Persephone_Amethyst_(NaomiAmethyst)-west.wav, En-us-west.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with west?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as west.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: stew.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of west
- wests plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- further west comparative
- farther west comparative
- furthest west superlative
- farthest west superlative
- westing participle, present
- wested participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does west mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The direction opposite to that of the earth's rotation, specifically 270°.
We used to live in the west of the country.
- 2
The western region or area; the inhabitants thereof.
- 3
In a church: the direction of the gallery, opposite to the altar, and opposite to the direction faced by the priest when celebrating ad orientem.
adjective
- 1
Situated or lying in or toward the west; westward.
- 2
Of wind: from the west.
- 3
Of or pertaining to the west; western.
- 4
From the West; occidental.
- 5
Designating, or situated in, the liturgical west, that part of a church which is opposite to, and farthest from, the part containing the chancel.
adverb
- 1
Towards the west; westwards.
This thoroughfare bears (to the) West.
verb
- 1
To move to the west; (of the sun), to set.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate west?
Wiktionary records 2 abbreviations of west: W, w..
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
West in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | ouest, occident, ponant , vers l'ouest , occidental |
| German | West, Westen , westlich, westwärts , abendländisch |
| Portuguese | oeste, ocidente, poente , ocidental |
| Spanish | oeste, poniente, occidente , al oeste , occidental |
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 west come from?
From Middle English west, from Old English west, from Proto-West Germanic *westr (“western”), from Proto-Germanic *westrą (“west”), from Proto-Germanic *westraz (“west”), from Proto-Indo-European *wek⁽ʷ⁾speros (“evening”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).