fasten
/ˈfæsn̩/verb
fasten is spelled F-A-S-T-E-N: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 29,649th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, fasten means “To attach or connect in a secure manner” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in fasten?
| Letters | 6: F-A-S-T-E-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 29,649th 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 fasten?
Fasten appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 29,649th 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 fasten?
- UK /ˈfɑːsn̩/
- US /ˈfæsn̩/
Fasten 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: En-us-fasten.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of fasten
- fastens present, singular, he/she/it
- fastening participle, present
- fastened participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does fasten mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To attach or connect in a secure manner.
The sailor fastened the boat to the dock with a half-hitch.
- 2
To cause to take close effect; to make to tell; to land.
to fasten a blow
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Fasten in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense to attach or connect in a secure manner:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | attacher, fixer |
| German | befestigen, festmachen |
| Portuguese | apertar, atar, firmar, segurar |
| Spanish | atar, abrochar, fijar, prender, sujetar, subjectar |
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 fasten come from?
From Middle English fastenen, from Old English fæstnian, from Proto-West Germanic *fastinōn (“to secure, fasten”). Equivalent to fast + -en.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).