darken

/ˈdɑɹkən/

//ˈdɑɹkən// verb

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

"darken" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“darken” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #33,602. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#33,602
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
18
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To make dark or darker by reducing light.

Corpus desk

Index EN-darken · darken · English

darken · rank #33,602 · 9 variants · 18 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #33,602
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 18 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH daddies

Nearest frequency peer: daddies (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Frequency neighbourhood for “darken”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “darken” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

darken vs darn
67% similar
darken vs Darko
50% similar
darken vs darker
83% similar

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

Key facts for darken
PropertyValue
Headworddarken
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈdɑɹkən/
Letters6
Frequency rank#33,602
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs18
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “darken” sits in English frequency

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).darkenlands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “daddies” (#33,601), “cuteness” (#33,600), “dba” (#33,604). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around darken (IPA /ˈdɑɹkən/), averb. Corpus frequency is #33,602 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 12 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for darken, with forms such as "adrken", "dakren", and "darekn". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 18 confusable-pair relationships, "darn", "Darko", "darker", 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 derkenen, dirkenen, from Old English *deorcnian, *diercnian (“to darken”), from Proto-West Germanic *dirkinōn (“to darken”), equivalent to dark + -en. Cognate with Scots derken, durken (“to darken”), Old High German tarchanjan, terchinen… The correct English form is darken, spelled D-A-R-K-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    To make dark or darker by reducing light.
  2. 2
    To become dark or darker (having less light).
  3. 3
    To get dark (referring to the sky, either in the evening or as a result of cloud).
  4. 4
    To make dark or darker in colour.
  5. 5
    To become dark or darker in colour.
  6. 6
    To render gloomy, darker in mood.
  7. 7
    To become gloomy, darker in mood.
  8. 8
    To blind, impair the eyesight.
  9. 9
    To be blinded, lose one’s eyesight.
  10. 10
    To cloud, obscure, or perplex; to render less clear or intelligible.
  11. 11
    To make foul; to sully; to tarnish.
  12. 12
    To be extinguished or deprived of vitality, to die.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how darken appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. […] they [locusts] covered the face of the whole earth, so that the land was darkened […]
  2. So spake the Sovran voice, and Clouds began To darken all the Hill […]

Etymology

From Middle English derkenen, dirkenen, from Old English *deorcnian, *diercnian (“to darken”), from Proto-West Germanic *dirkinōn (“to darken”), equivalent to dark + -en. Cognate with Scots derken, durken (“to darken”), Old High German tarchanjan, terchinen (“to darken”), Middle High German terken, derken (“to darken”).

This word in other languages

oscurecer(Español)obscurcir(Français)verdunkeln(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • adrken
  • dakren
  • darekn
  • darkenn
  • darkken
  • darkne
  • darrken
  • ddarken
  • draken

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of darken - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

adrken2dakren2darekn2darkenn1darkken1darkne2darrken1ddarken1
Edit distance from "darken"

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 "darken"?
"darken" is spelled D-A-R-K-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈdɑɹkən/.
What does "darken" mean?
As a verb, "darken" means: To make dark or darker by reducing light.
What words are commonly confused with "darken"?
"darken" is commonly confused with "darn", "Darko", "darker". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "darken"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "darken" is /ˈdɑɹkən/. 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 "darken"?
From Middle English derkenen, dirkenen, from Old English *deorcnian, *diercnian (“to darken”), from Proto-West Germanic *dirkinōn (“to darken”), equivalent to dark + -en. Cognate with Scots derken, durken (“to darken”), Old High German tarchanjan,... 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "darken", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

defuse#33,609Dermot#33,612Correa#33,591divest#33,623

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

Connery9 variantscodeine9 variantsCoburn9 variantsclough9 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "darken". Here's where to go from here.

  • "darken" maps to 18 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "darn". View pair
  • 9 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #33,602 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "D" letter cohort. D–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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