frightened

/ˈfɹaɪtn̩d/

//ˈfɹaɪtn̩d// adj

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

"frightened" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“frightened” has 16 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #10,550. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#10,550
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords
16
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Afraid; suffering from fear.

Corpus desk

Index EN-frightened · frightened · English

frightened · rank #10,550 · 16 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #10,550
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 16 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH Gavin

Nearest frequency peer: Gavin (+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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “frightened”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “frightened” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

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).

frightened vs frighten
80% similar

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

Key facts for frightened
PropertyValue
Headwordfrightened
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈfɹaɪtn̩d/
Letters10
Frequency rank#10,550
Misspellings tracked16
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “frightened”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).frightenedlands 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 “Gavin” (#10,551), “folder” (#10,548), “groove” (#10,552). Among 2,507 “F” headwords, “frightened” is #10,550. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 16 spelling variants around frightened (IPA /ˈfɹaɪtn̩d/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #10,550 among 2,507 “F” headwords. Dominant gloss: "Afraid; suffering from fear.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 16 likely wrong-spelling variants for frightened, with forms such as "ffrightened", "firghtened", and "frgihtened". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "frighten", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so any spelling logic here comes from how the word's sounds map to letters, not a documented origin story. The correct English form is frightened, spelled F-R-I-G-H-T-E-N-E-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    Afraid; suffering from fear.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. She looked very much frightened of the storm.
  2. He tried to persuade Cicely to stay away from the ball-room for a fourth dance.[…]But she said she must go back, and when they joined the crowd again her partner was haled off with a frightened look to the royal circle, […].

This word in other languages

atemorizado(Español)effrayé(Français)erschrocken(Deutsch)amedrontado(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ffrightened
  • firghtened
  • frgihtened
  • frigghtened
  • frighetned
  • frighhtened
  • frighteend
  • frightende
  • frightenedd
  • frightenned
  • frightneed
  • frighttened
  • frigthened
  • frihgtened
  • frrightened
  • rfightened

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of frightened - 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.

ffrightened1firghtened2frgihtened2frigghtened1frighetned2frighhtened1frighteend2frightende2
Edit distance from "frightened"

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 "frightened"?
"frightened" is spelled F-R-I-G-H-T-E-N-E-D. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈfɹaɪtn̩d/.
What does "frightened" mean?
As an adjective, "frightened" means: Afraid; suffering from fear.
What words are commonly confused with "frightened"?
"frightened" is commonly confused with "frighten". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "frightened"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "frightened" is /ˈfɹaɪtn̩d/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "frightened" come from?
"frightened" is a English word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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 "frightened", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

ingredient#10,557evacuation#10,541ironically#10,562commanders#10,516

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (16 here; floor ≥5).

expenditure16 variantsCanterbury16 variantsworthwhile16 variantsacceleration16 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list