lessen
/ˈlɛsən/verb, conjunction
lessen is spelled L-E-S-S-E-N: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 2.3 times per million words in written English, the 17,813th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). People search “lessen vs lesson” about 90 times a month (Google, United States). As a verb, lessen means “To make less; to diminish; to reduce” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in lessen?
| Letters | 6: L-E-S-S-E-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 2.3 times per million words; the 17,813th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Pairs people search | |
| Sounds like |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026).
How common is lessen?
Lessen appears 2.3 times per million words in written English, the 17,813th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce lessen?
- US /ˈlɛsən/
- Australia /ˈlesən/
- /lɛsˈsɛn/
Lessen has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-lessen.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with lessen
Word pairs people search, with the monthly searches for “a vs b” (G: Google, B: Bing, United States).
Sounds like: lesson (Wiktionary's homophone list; some hold only in some accents).
Sources: Google and Bing searches (September 2025 to August 2026, through DataForSEO); English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of lessen
- lessens present, singular, he/she/it
- lessening participle, present
- lessened participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does lessen mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To make less; to diminish; to reduce.
a. 1686, Benjamin Calamy, a sermon Charity […] shall lessen his punishment.
- 2
To become less.
conjunction
- 1
nonstandardunless.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Lessen in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | amoindrir, atténuer, diminuer, réduire |
| Portuguese | atenuar, diminuir, reduzir , reduzir-se |
| Spanish | menoscabar, disminuir, reducir, aminorar, menguar, mermar |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does lessen come from?
From Middle English lessenen, lasnen, equivalent to less + -en (verbal suffix).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).