lessen
/ˈlɛsən/
"lessen" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“lessen” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #17,888 in English word frequency and used as a verb.
- #17,888
- frequency rank, English
- 6
- letters
- 7
- tracked misspellings
- 17
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To make less; to diminish; to reduce.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | lessen |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /ˈlɛsən/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Frequency rank | #17,888 |
| Misspellings tracked | 7 |
| Confusable pairs | 17 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “lessen” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for lessen is 6 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈlɛsən/. Corpus data places it at rank #17,888 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for lessen, with forms such as "elssen", "lesen", and "lesesn". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 17 confusable-pair relationships, "listen", "lesson", "lesser", and more, 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 lessenen, lasnen, equivalent to less + -en (verbal suffix). The correct English form is lessen, spelled L-E-S-S-E-N.
Definition
- 1To make less; to diminish; to reduce.
- 2To become less.
Etymology
From Middle English lessenen, lasnen, equivalent to less + -en (verbal suffix).
Synonyms
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: elssen,lesen,lesesn,lessenn,lessne,llessen,lsesen
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of lessen - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.
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 "lessen"?
What does "lessen" mean?
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Using “lessen”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is L-E-S-S-E-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈlɛsən/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “listen” - see the side-by-side comparison. lessen vs listen
- 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.