deepen
/ˈdiːpən/verb
deepen is spelled D-E-E-P-E-N: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 1.5 times per million words in written English, the 22,651st most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, deepen means “To make deep or deeper” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in deepen?
| Letters | 6: D-E-E-P-E-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.5 times per million words; the 22,651st 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 deepen?
Deepen appears 1.5 times per million words in written English, the 22,651st 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 deepen?
- /ˈdiːpən/
Deepen 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-deepen.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of deepen
- deepens present, singular, he/she/it
- deepening participle, present
- deepened participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does deepen mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To make deep or deeper
They deepened the well by 200 feet.
- 2
To make darker or more intense; to darken
The event deepened the prevailing gloom.
- 3
To make more poignant or affecting; to increase in degree
News of her death deepened my sorrow.
- 4
To make lower in tone
The tuner deepened the tone of the organ.
- 5
To make more thorough or extensive.
The class deepened my understanding of the subject.
- 6
To make more intimate.
The shared experiences deepened our relationship.
- 7
To make more sound or heavy.
The hypnotist then proceeded to deepen his trance.
- 8
To become deeper
The water deepens as you go toward the middle of the channel.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Deepen in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | approfondir , intensifier , devenir plus profond |
| German | aushölen, vertiefen , zunehmen , vergrößern |
| Portuguese | aprofundar |
| Spanish | ahondar |
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 deepen come from?
From deep + -en.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).