# wide vs widen

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### wide
*adjective · IPA /waɪd/ · frequency rank #1,177*
Having a large physical extent from side to side.

### widen
*verb · IPA /ˈwaɪdn̩/ · frequency rank #21,113*
To become wide or wider.

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