christen

/ˈkɹɪsən/

//ˈkɹɪsən// verb

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"christen" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“christen” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #45,272 in English word frequency and used as a verb.

#45,272
frequency rank, English
8
letters
13
tracked misspellings
7
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To perform the religious rite of baptism upon; to baptize.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

christen vs Christy
63% similar
christen vs Christie
63% similar
christen vs Christian
67% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for christen
PropertyValue
Headwordchristen
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈkɹɪsən/
Letters8
Frequency rank#45,272
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs7
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “christen” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). christen lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for christen is 8 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈkɹɪsən/. Corpus data places it at rank #45,272 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for christen, with forms such as "cchristen", "chhristen", and "chirsten". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 7 confusable-pair relationships, "Christy", "Christie", "Christian", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English cristenen, cristnien, from Old English cristnian (“to christen, baptise”), from cristen (“Christen, Christian”) + -nian. Cognate with Saterland Frisian kristenje (“to christen”), Dutch kerstenen (“to christen”), Middle Low German kristen… The correct English form is christen, spelled C-H-R-I-S-T-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    To perform the religious rite of baptism upon; to baptize.
  2. 2
    To name.
  3. 3
    To Christianize.
  4. 4
    To use for the first time.
  5. 5
    To douse or wet with blood, urine, tears, or other liquid.

Etymology

From Middle English cristenen, cristnien, from Old English cristnian (“to christen, baptise”), from cristen (“Christen, Christian”) + -nian. Cognate with Saterland Frisian kristenje (“to christen”), Dutch kerstenen (“to christen”), Middle Low German kristenen, kerstenen, karstenen (“to christen”), Danish kristne (“to christen”), Swedish kristna (“to christen”), Icelandic kristna (“to christen”). By surface analysis, Christ + -en.

This word in other languages

acristianar(Español)baptiser(Français)taufen(Deutsch)batizar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: cchristen,chhristen,chirsten,chrisetn,chrissten,christenn,christne,christten,chritsen,chrristen,chrsiten,crhisten,hcristen

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of christen - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

cchristen1chhristen1chirsten2chrisetn2chrissten1christenn1christne2christten1
Edit distance from "christen"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "christen"?
"christen" is spelled C-H-R-I-S-T-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkɹɪsən/.
What does "christen" mean?
As a verb, "christen" means: To perform the religious rite of baptism upon; to baptize.
What words are commonly confused with "christen"?
"christen" is commonly confused with "Christy", "Christie", "Christian". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "christen"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "christen" is /ˈkɹɪsən/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "christen"?
From Middle English cristenen, cristnien, from Old English cristnian (“to christen, baptise”), from cristen (“Christen, Christian”) + -nian. Cognate with Saterland Frisian kristenje (“to christen”), Dutch kerstenen (“to christen”), Middle Low Germ... See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “christen”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is C-H-R-I-S-T-E-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈkɹɪsən/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “Christy” - see the side-by-side comparison. christen vs Christy
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list