glisten
/ˈɡlɪsən/
"glisten" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“glisten” is uncommon English (frequency #70,702 among 18,276 “G” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- #70,702
- frequency rank, English
- 18,276
- “G” headwords
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To reflect light with a glittering luster; to sparkle, coruscate, glint or flash.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | glisten |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /ˈɡlɪsən/ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Frequency rank | #70,702 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “glisten” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
glisten is uncommon English at frequency #70,702 among 18,276 “G” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /ˈɡlɪsən/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "To reflect light with a glittering luster; to sparkle, coruscate, glint or flash.".
No generated misspelling entries exist for glisten in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English glisnen, glistnen, from Old English glisnian, itself from Proto-West Germanic *glisnōn, while ultimately deriving from Proto-Germanic *glisnōną. The correct English form is glisten, spelled G-L-I-S-T-E-N.
Definition
- 1To reflect light with a glittering luster; to sparkle, coruscate, glint or flash.
Etymology
From Middle English glisnen, glistnen, from Old English glisnian, itself from Proto-West Germanic *glisnōn, while ultimately deriving from Proto-Germanic *glisnōną.
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
How do you spell "glisten"?
What does "glisten" mean?
How do you pronounce "glisten"?
What is the origin of the word "glisten"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “glisten”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is G-L-I-S-T-E-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈɡlɪsən/ (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.