past · paste · post · pest
past /pæst/ · paste /peɪst/ · post /poʊst/ · pest /pɛst/ — all four share the same p...st frame. The vowel in the middle is the only thing that changes — and it changes the whole word.
/pæst/
past — short /æ/
p_st frame
/peɪst/
paste — diphthong /eɪ/
p_st frame
/poʊst/
post — diphthong /oʊ/
p_st frame
/pɛst/
pest — short /ɛ/
p_st frame
adjective / noun / preposition — a time before now — 'in the past' · 'ten past three' · 'walked past the store'
mouth shape
short /æ/ — jaw drops wide, mouth open — like 'cat', 'last', 'fast' — then a crisp /st/ ending
past
/pæst/
vowel length
plays as: “in the past”
noun / verb — a soft, moist substance, or to stick something down — 'toothpaste' · 'paste the link' · 'flour and water paste'
mouth shape
diphthong /eɪ/ — lips spread and glide up — like 'face', 'place', 'taste' — same /st/ ending as past
paste
/peɪst/
vowel length
plays as: “paste the paper together”
noun / verb — an upright pole, a job position, mail, or to publish online — 'a fence post' · 'job post' · 'post a photo'
mouth shape
diphthong /oʊ/ — lips round then glide forward — like 'most', 'toast', 'ghost' — same /st/ ending again
post
/poʊst/
vowel length
plays as: “post a photo”
noun — an animal or insect that damages crops, or an annoying person — 'garden pest' · 'pest control'
mouth shape
short /ɛ/ — mouth opens partway, jaw drops a little — like 'best', 'rest', 'test' — same /st/ ending
pest
/pɛst/
vowel length
plays as: “a garden pest”
Key differences
past — /æ/ — jaw drops wide open, a short, flat vowel. Like cat, last.
paste — /eɪ/ — a gliding diphthong, lips spread and rise. Like face, taste.
post — /oʊ/ — a gliding diphthong, lips round and push forward. Like most, toast.
pest — /ɛ/ — jaw drops only partway, a short, flat vowel. Like best, rest.
Fun fact — “post” is secretly three different words
The pole (“a fence post”), the mail (“send it by post”), and the prefix meaning “after” (“postpone”, “post-war”) come from three separate Latin roots — postis (doorpost), posita (placed, via old mail relay stations), and post (after) — that just happened to collide on the same spelling and sound in English.
Example sentences
past:“That’s all in the past now.”
paste:“Copy and paste the link.”
post:“I’ll post the photos later.”
pest:“Aphids are a common garden pest.”
Hear it in the wild
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past
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paste
Hear native speakers say “paste” in real sentences — news, lectures, and podcasts.
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post
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pest
Hear native speakers say “pest” in real sentences — news, lectures, and podcasts.
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How teachers explain this
Approved tips from the community, sorted by helpfulness
Word families
past family ▸
paste family ▸
post family ▸
pest family ▸
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