broaden
[ˈbɹɔː.dn̩]verb
broaden is spelled B-R-O-A-D-E-N: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 2.0 times per million words in written English, the 19,589th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, broaden means “To make broad or broader” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in broaden?
| Letters | 7: B-R-O-A-D-E-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 2.0 times per million words; the 19,589th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
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).
How common is broaden?
Broaden appears 2.0 times per million words in written English, the 19,589th 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 broaden?
- UK [ˈbɹɔː.dn̩]
- [ˈbɹɑ.dn̩]
- [ˈbɹɔ.dn̩]
Broaden 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: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-broaden.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of broaden
- broadens present, singular, he/she/it
- broadening participle, present
- broadened participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does broaden mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To make broad or broader.
broaden one’s knowledge
- 2
To become broad or broader.
The roads gradually broadened as we drove into the countryside.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Broaden in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | élargir , s'élargir |
| Portuguese | alargar , alargar-se |
| Spanish | ensanchar , ensancharse |
| German | sich weiten |
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 broaden come from?
From broad + -en (verbal suffix).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).