worst
/wɜɹst/adjective, noun, verb, adverb
worst is spelled W-O-R-S-T: 5 letters and one syllable. It appears 85 times per million words in written English, the 1,251st most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, worst means “Most inferior; doing the least good” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in worst?
| Letters | 5: W-O-R-S-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 85 times per million words; the 1,251st most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with | |
| 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 worst?
Worst appears 85 times per million words in written English, the 1,251st 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 worst?
- UK /wɜːst/
- /wɔːst/
- US /wɜɹst/
Worst 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-us-worst.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with worst?
7 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as worst from its last stressed vowel (/ɜɹst/):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: worts.
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 worst
- worsts plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- worsting participle, present
- worsted participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does worst mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Most inferior; doing the least good.
I think putting oil on a burn is the worst thing you can do.
- 2
Most unfavorable.
That's the worst news I've had all day.
- 3
Most harmful or severe.
The worst storm we had last winter knocked down our power lines.
- 4
Used with the definite article and an implied noun: something that is worst.
None of these photographs of me are good, but this one is definitely the worst.
noun
- 1
Something or someone that is the worst.
adverb
- 1
superlative form of badly: most badly; least well.
My sore leg hurts worst when it's cold and rainy.
verb
- 1
archaicTo make worse.
- 2
datedTo grow worse; to deteriorate.
- 3
rareTo outdo or defeat, especially in battle.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Worst in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | pire, mauvais (e) , (+ le plus)mal |
| German | schlechteste, schlechtester, schlimmste, schlimmster |
| Portuguese | pior |
| Spanish | peor |
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 worst come from?
From Middle English worste, wurste, warste, werste, wirste, from Old English wierrest, from Proto-Germanic *wirsistaz, superlative form of *ubilaz (“bad, evil”); compare worse.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).