greaten
/ˈɡɹeɪtən/
"greaten" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“greaten” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 7
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To become great or large; increase; dilate.
Corpus desk
Index EN-greaten · greaten · English
greaten · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-LONG 7 letters
- VOW-3 3 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "G" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
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.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | greaten |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /ˈɡɹeɪtən/ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “greaten” in English
Rare enough to double-check
greaten is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as averb, transcribed /ˈɡɹeɪtən/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.
greaten has no tracked misspelling variants, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English gretnen (“to become great, be pregnant”), equivalent to great + -en. The correct English form is greaten, spelled G-R-E-A-T-E-N.
Definition
- 1To become great or large; increase; dilate.
- 2To become great with child; become pregnant.
- 3To make great; magnify; enlarge; increase.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how greaten appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
one studies how how to please his prince, the other how to greaten and secure him.
No blushes! all my body's blood / Has gone to greaten this poor heart, / That, loving, we may part.
Etymology
From Middle English gretnen (“to become great, be pregnant”), equivalent to great + -en.
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.