# darken vs darned

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### darken
*verb · IPA /ˈdɑɹkən/ · frequency rank #33,602*
To make dark or darker by reducing light.

### darned
*verb · IPA /dɑːnd/ · frequency rank #45,316*
simple past and past participle of darn

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/darken-vs-darned