worsted
/ˈwʊs.tɪd/noun, adjective, verb
worsted is spelled W-O-R-S-T-E-D: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 4 million words in written English, the 58,063rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, worsted means “Yarn made from long strands of wool” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of worsted is worsteds.
How many letters and syllables are in worsted?
| Letters | 7: W-O-R-S-T-E-D |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 4 million words; the 58,063rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
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).
How common is worsted?
Worsted appears about once in every 4 million words in written English, the 58,063rd 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 worsted?
- UK /ˈwʊs.tɪd/
- US /ˈwʊs.tɪd/
- US /ˈwɝ.stɪd/
As an adjective (“Defeated, overcome”): /ˈwəː.stɪd/, /ˈwɝ.stɪd/.
Worsted has 2 syllables (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-ncalif-worsted.ogg, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-worsted.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of worsted
- worsteds plural
- more worsted comparative
- most worsted superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does worsted mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Yarn made from long strands of wool.
- 2
The fine, smooth fabric made from such wool yarn.
adjective
- 1
Defeated, overcome.
The worsted army fled in disarray.
verb
- 1
simple past and past participle of worst
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Worsted in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | Kammgarn |
| Spanish | estambre , gabardina, sarga , vencido, derrotado, deshecho |
| French | pure laine peignée, gabardine , vaincu, battu, défait, battu à plate couture |
| Portuguese | estambre, lã penteada, lã cardada |
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 worsted come from?
Inherited from Middle English worstede, worsted, from Worstede (now Worstead; Old English *Wurϸestede), a town in Norfolk, England.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).