heighten

/ˈhaɪ̯.tən/

//ˈhaɪ̯.tən// verb

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

"heighten" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“heighten” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #35,330. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#35,330
frequency rank, English
2,646
“H” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To make high; to raise higher; to elevate.

Corpus desk

Index EN-heighten · heighten · English

heighten · rank #35,330 · 12 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #35,330
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,646
  • PHOTO-FINISH Hebrides

Nearest frequency peer: Hebrides (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “heighten”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “heighten” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

heighten vs heights
75% similar
heighten vs heightened
80% similar
heighten vs height
75% similar

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

Key facts for heighten
PropertyValue
Headwordheighten
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈhaɪ̯.tən/
Letters8
Frequency rank#35,330
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “heighten”

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

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “Hebrides” (#35,329), “helluva” (#35,331), “heaving” (#35,328). Among 2,646 “H” headwords, “heighten” is #35,330. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around heighten (IPA /ˈhaɪ̯.tən/), averb. Corpus frequency is #35,330 among 2,646 “H” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for heighten, with forms such as "ehighten", "hegihten", and "heigghten". 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 3 confusable-pair relationships, "heights", "heightened", "height", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English heightenen, hyghtenen, equivalent to height + -en (verbal suffix). The correct English form is heighten, spelled H-E-I-G-H-T-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    To make high; to raise higher; to elevate.
  2. 2
    To advance, increase, augment, make larger, more intense, stronger etc.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Black Bridge, near Machynlleth, is being heightened by one metre in a £3.6 million project to reduce delays caused by flooding.
  2. to heighten beauty

Etymology

From Middle English heightenen, hyghtenen, equivalent to height + -en (verbal suffix).

Antonyms

lessen

This word in other languages

elevar(Español)hausser(Français)elevar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ehighten
  • hegihten
  • heigghten
  • heighetn
  • heighhten
  • heightenn
  • heightne
  • heightten
  • heigthen
  • heihgten
  • hheighten
  • hieghten

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of heighten - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

ehighten2hegihten2heigghten1heighetn2heighhten1heightenn1heightne2heightten1
Edit distance from "heighten"

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 "heighten"?
"heighten" is spelled H-E-I-G-H-T-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈhaɪ̯.tən/.
What does "heighten" mean?
As a verb, "heighten" means: To make high; to raise higher; to elevate.
What words are commonly confused with "heighten"?
"heighten" is commonly confused with "heights", "heightened", "height". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "heighten"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "heighten" is /ˈhaɪ̯.tən/. 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 "heighten"?
From Middle English heightenen, hyghtenen, equivalent to height + -en (verbal suffix). 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 "heighten", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Hebrides#35,329holstein#35,341greenery#35,317Francine#35,303

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

Gwyneth12 variantsforetold12 variantsJosephus12 variantsmachined12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list