Blessed vs. Blest – Difference, Meaning & Examples

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Candace Osmond

Candace Osmond studied Advanced Writing & Editing Essentials at MHC. She’s been an International and USA TODAY Bestselling Author for over a decade. And she’s worked as an Editor for several mid-sized publications. Candace has a keen eye for content editing and a high degree of expertise in Fiction.

“Blessed” and “blest” are two words that are similar in meaning and usage, but they have some slight differences in connotation and usage. Let’s take a hot second to look at the difference between blessed vs. blest in my quick guide!

Blessed Meaning

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“Blessed” is the most common form of the word, and it is used as an adjective to describe certain people or things considered to be fortunate or privileged. You can also use it as a verb, meaning to make holy or to give God’s favor.

“Blessed” can be used in a religious or spiritual context to refer to someone who has the favor of God, or in a secular context to refer to someone who is lucky or fortunate.

What Is the Correct Way to Say Blessed?

Here are a few examples of “blessed” in a sentence to show you the right way to use the word.

  • The church was blessed by the priest before the service.
  • He felt blessed to have such a supportive family.
  • It was a blessed event in their lives when the baby was born.

Blest Meaning

Is blest a word? It is, but “blest” is an older form of the word “blessed” that is not used as frequently. It is primarily used in literature, poetry, or other types of artistic expression in order to create a more old-fashioned or elevated tone. “Blest” is used as an adjective to express the idea of being favored, fortunate, or happy; it’s not used as a verb.

How Do You Use Blest in a Sentence?

I put together a few examples of “blest” in a sentence to show you how to use the word properly with context.

  • We were blest to be a part of this wonderful experience
  • The mountains were a blest sight to behold
  • He was blest to have such a loving partner

Which Do You Use?

Blessed vs. Blest Ngram
Blessed and blest usage trend.

When it comes to using blessed and blest, it’s all dependent on what you’re writing, if you ask me. In modern English, “blessed” is the more commonly used form, and it is generally considered to be more appropriate for use in everyday language. “Blest” is primarily used in old forms of literature and writing.

Blessed Pronunciation

It depends on the context, really. For example, if you were saying, “This ancient relic has been blessed by a group of monks.” You would pronounce it as blest.

However, when my grandmother used to curse things in anger, she would say stuff like, “Curse this blessed thing; it doesn’t work!” In that case, you would pronounce it as bless-id.

The reason for the two different pronunciations is that one is an adjective (bless-id, meaning holy), and the other is the past tense verb form of the word bless (blest).

Final Words

Basically, you just have to remember that “blessed” functions as an adjective and a verb used to describe a person or thing that is considered to be fortunate or privileged. On the other hand, “blest” is an older form of the word that is used primarily in literature, poetry, or other forms of artistic expression, to create a more old-fashioned or elevated tone. Make sense?