darken
/ˈdɑɹkən/verb
darken is spelled D-A-R-K-E-N: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 33,636th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, darken means “To make dark or darker by reducing light” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in darken?
| Letters | 6: D-A-R-K-E-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 33,636th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with | |
| 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 darken?
Darken appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 33,636th 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 darken?
- US /ˈdɑɹkən/
- UK /ˈdɑːkən/
Darken 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-darken.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with darken?
3 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as darken from its last stressed vowel (/ɑɹkən/):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: ranked, kendra.
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 darken
- darkens present, singular, he/she/it
- darkening participle, present
- darkened 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 darken mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To make dark or darker by reducing light.
- 2
To become dark or darker (having less light).
- 3
To get dark (referring to the sky, either in the evening or as a result of cloud).
- 4
To make dark or darker in colour.
- 5
To become dark or darker in colour.
- 6
To render gloomy, darker in mood.
- 7
To become gloomy, darker in mood.
- 8
To blind, impair the eyesight.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Darken in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | obscurcir, assombrir , foncer |
| Spanish | oscurecer, obscurecer, infuscar |
| German | verdunkeln |
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 darken come from?
From Middle English derkenen, dirkenen, from Old English *deorcnian, *diercnian (“to darken”), from Proto-West Germanic *dirkinōn (“to darken”), equivalent to dark + -en.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).