# worst

> English word · Adjective · IPA /wɜːst/ · frequency rank #1,259

## Definitions
1. superlative form of bad: most bad
2. superlative form of bad: most bad
3. superlative form of bad: most bad
4. superlative form of bad: most bad

## Etymology
From Middle English worste, wurste, warste, werste, wirste, from Old English wierrest, from Proto-Germanic *wirsistaz, superlative form of *ubilaz (“bad, evil”); compare worse.
Cognate with Old Saxon wirsista, wirrista (“worst”), Old High German wirst, wirsesto, wirsisto (“worst”), Danish værst (“worst”), Swedish värst (“worst”), Icelandic verstur (“worst”).

## Easily confused with
- **wot** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/worst-vs-wot)
- **writ** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/worst-vs-writ)
- **wort** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/worst-vs-wort)
- **worth** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/worst-vs-worth)
- **wrist** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/worst-vs-wrist)
- **wrest** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/worst-vs-wrest)
- **wor** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wor-vs-worst)
- **work** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/work-vs-worst)
- **west** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/west-vs-worst)
- **word** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/word-vs-worst)
- **wars** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wars-vs-worst)
- **wore** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wore-vs-worst)
- **worn** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/worn-vs-worst)
- **wont** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wont-vs-worst)
- **worm** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/worm-vs-worst)
- **woes** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/woes-vs-worst)
- **wart** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wart-vs-worst)
- **world** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/world-vs-worst)
- **won't** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/won-t-vs-worst)
- **works** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/works-vs-worst)

## Common misspellings (8)
`owrst`, `worrst`, `worsst`, `worstt`, `worts`, `wosrt`, `wrost`, `wworst`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/worst