graven

verb

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

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

The verdict

“graven” is uncommon English (frequency #72,361 among 2,313 “G” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#72,361
frequency rank, English
2,313
“G” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - past participle of grave

Corpus desk

Index EN-graven · graven · English

graven · rank #72,361 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #72,361
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,313
  • PHOTO-FINISH grantor

Nearest frequency peer: grantor (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “graven”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “graven” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for graven
PropertyValue
Headwordgraven
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
Letters6
Frequency rank#72,361
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “graven” in English

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).gravenfalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “grantor” (#72,360), “greystone” (#72,362), “groundskeeper” (#72,363). Among 2,313 “G” headwords, “graven” is #72,361. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

graven is uncommon English at frequency #72,361 among 2,313 “G” headwords, classed as averb. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "past participle of grave".

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for graven, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English graven, igraven, from Old English grafen, ġegrafen, from Proto-Germanic *grabanaz, past participle of Proto-Germanic *grabaną (“to dig, trench”). The correct English form is graven, spelled G-R-A-V-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    past participle of grave

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Deep lines were graven on her pale forehead, and on her wan, thin cheeks.

Etymology

From Middle English graven, igraven, from Old English grafen, ġegrafen, from Proto-Germanic *grabanaz, past participle of Proto-Germanic *grabaną (“to dig, trench”).

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 "graven"?
"graven" is spelled G-R-A-V-E-N.
What does "graven" mean?
As a verb, "graven" means: past participle of grave
What is the origin of the word "graven"?
From Middle English graven, igraven, from Old English grafen, ġegrafen, from Proto-Germanic *grabanaz, past participle of Proto-Germanic *grabaną (“to dig, trench”). 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "graven", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

gulped#72,368Ghazni#72,348Hanako#72,377Howlin#72,401

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list