Which to use
“broaden” and “broken” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #19,543
- “broaden” frequency rank
- #1,387
- “broken” frequency rank
- 20930
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | broaden | broken |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | To make broad or broader. | past participle of break |
Where the eye mixes broaden and broken
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between broaden and broken
A purely visual mix-up. broaden (/ˈbɹɑ.dn̩/) and broken (/ˈbɹəʊ.kn̩/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 20930, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
broaden is recorded at frequency rank #19,543, classified as averb, pronounced /ˈbɹɑ.dn̩/. broken is at rank #1,387, tagged as averb, pronounced /ˈbɹəʊ.kn̩/.
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 20930, this pair ranks #427,629 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of broaden vs broken
Shared letters: benor. Private to "broaden": ad. Private to "broken": k.
"broaden" · 7 letters · shape CCVVCVC · "broken" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "broaden" and "broken" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "broaden" vs "broken" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "broaden" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "broken" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #427,629 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "broaden" and "broken" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Boden vs broaden". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #427,629 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.