# happen vs happened

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### happen
*verb · IPA /ˈhæpən/ · frequency rank #654*
To occur or take place.

### happened
*verb · IPA /ˈhæpənd/ · frequency rank #634*
simple past and past participle of happen

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