# light vs lighten

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### light
*noun · IPA /laɪt/ · frequency rank #467*
Electromagnetic radiation in the wavelength range visible to the human eye (about 400–750 nanometers): visible light.

### lighten
*verb · IPA /ˈlaɪ.tn̩/ · frequency rank #18,357*
To make brighter or clearer; to illuminate.

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