Happest

Happest is a form that appears in English primarily as an archaic or nonstandard variant of the superlative degree of the adjective happy. In modern standard English, the correct superlative is happiest, formed from happy with the suffix -iest. Happest is generally considered nonstandard outside of historical or stylistic contexts.

Historically, English adjectives often exhibited more variation in inflection, and some texts or dialects used -est or other endings in ways that differ from contemporary grammar. As a result, happest can be found in discussions of Early Modern English usage or in poetry and prose that aims to evoke older speech. In most contemporary writing, happest would be regarded as an error or a deliberate archaism.

Usage and interpretation vary by context. When encountered in academic or literary analysis, happest is usually treated as a marker of archaic diction or a nonstandard variant to be contrasted with the modern forms happier and happiest. In everyday writing, it is typically avoided in favor of the standard forms to prevent confusion.

See also: happier, happiest, happy (etymology), English grammar and spelling.