gotten

/ˈɡɒt.n̩/

//ˈɡɒt.n̩// verb

"gotten" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“gotten” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #3,168 in English word frequency and used as a verb.

#3,168
frequency rank, English
6
letters
7
tracked misspellings
10
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - past participle of get

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

gotten vs Gotti
50% similar
gotten vs gutted
67% similar
gotten vs gutter
67% similar

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

Key facts for gotten
PropertyValue
Headwordgotten
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈɡɒt.n̩/
Letters6
Frequency rank#3,168
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs10
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “gotten” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). gotten lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for gotten is 6 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈɡɒt.n̩/. Corpus data places it at rank #3,168 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "past participle of get".

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for gotten, with forms such as "ggotten", "goten", and "gotetn". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 10 confusable-pair relationships, "Gotti", "gutted", "gutter", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Morphologically got + -en. The correct English form is gotten, spelled G-O-T-T-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    past participle of get

Etymology

Morphologically got + -en.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ggotten,goten,gotetn,gottenn,gottne,gtoten,ogtten

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of gotten - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

ggotten1goten1gotetn2gottenn1gottne2gtoten2ogtten2
Edit distance from "gotten"

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 "gotten"?
"gotten" is spelled G-O-T-T-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɡɒt.n̩/.
What does "gotten" mean?
As a verb, "gotten" means: past participle of get
What words are commonly confused with "gotten"?
"gotten" is commonly confused with "Gotti", "gutted", "gutter". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "gotten"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "gotten" is /ˈɡɒt.n̩/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "gotten"?
Morphologically got + -en. See the full etymology section above for more details.
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.

Using “gotten”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is G-O-T-T-E-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈɡɒt.n̩/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “Gotti” - see the side-by-side comparison. gotten vs Gotti
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list