gladden
/ˈɡlædn̩/
"gladden" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“gladden” is uncommon English (frequency #74,991 among 18,276 “G” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- #74,991
- frequency rank, English
- 18,276
- “G” headwords
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To cause (something) to become more glad.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | gladden |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /ˈɡlædn̩/ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Frequency rank | #74,991 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “gladden” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
gladden is uncommon English at frequency #74,991 among 18,276 “G” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /ˈɡlædn̩/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.
Zero misspellings are on record for gladden in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.
Etymologically, the entry records: From glad + -en. The correct English form is gladden, spelled G-L-A-D-D-E-N.
Definition
- 1To cause (something) to become more glad.
- 2To become more glad in one's disposition.
Etymology
From glad + -en.
Synonyms
Antonyms
This word in other languages
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
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Using “gladden”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is G-L-A-D-D-E-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈɡlædn̩/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Other uncommon English words near this rank
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.