brighten
/ˈbɹaɪtən/verb
brighten is spelled B-R-I-G-H-T-E-N: 8 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 1.8 times per million words in written English, the 20,906th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, brighten means “To make bright or brighter in color” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in brighten?
| Letters | 8: B-R-I-G-H-T-E-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.8 times per million words; the 20,906th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Sounds like | |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is brighten?
Brighten appears 1.8 times per million words in written English, the 20,906th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce brighten?
- /ˈbɹaɪtən/
- US [ˈbɹaɪ̯ʔn̩]
Brighten has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-uk-Brighton.ogg, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vininn126-brighten.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with brighten
Sounds like: Brighton (Wiktionary's homophone list; some hold only in some accents).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with brighten?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as brighten.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: berthing.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of brighten
- brightens present, singular, he/she/it
- brightening participle, present
- brightened participle, past, singular, he/she/it, plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does brighten mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To make bright or brighter in color.
We brightened the room with a new coat of paint.
- 2
To make illustrious, or more distinguished; to add luster or splendor to
- 3
To make more cheerful and pleasant; to enliven
to brighten one’s prospects
- 4
To grow bright, or more bright in color; to clear up
The sun starts to brighten around this time of the year.
- 5
To become brighter or more cheerful in mood
She brightened when I changed the subject.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Brighten in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | aufhellen , schönen , sich aufhellen |
| Portuguese | clarear, iluminar , animar , animar-se |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does brighten come from?
From bright + -en.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).