# listen vs listened

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### listen
*verb · IPA /ˈlɪs.ən/ · frequency rank #929*
To use one's sense of hearing and auditory cognition in an intentional way; to make deliberate use of one's ears; to pay attention to or wait for a specific sound.

### listened
*verb · IPA /ˈlɪs.n̩d/ · frequency rank #5,060*
simple past and past participle of listen

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