listen
lis·ten/ˈlɪsən/verb, noun
listen is spelled L-I-S-T-E-N: 6 letters and 2 syllables (lis·ten). It appears 115 times per million words in written English, the 932nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, listen means “To use one's sense of hearing and auditory cognition in an intentional way; to make deliberate use of one's ears; to pay attention to or wait for a…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in listen?
| Letters | 6: L-I-S-T-E-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: lis·ten |
| In writing | 115 times per million words; the 932nd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is listen?
Listen appears 115 times per million words in written English, the 932nd 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 listen?
- /ˈlɪsən/
- [ˈlɪsən] ~ [ˈlɪsn̩]
Listen has 2 syllables, split lis·ten in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-uk-to_listen.ogg, En-us-listen.ogg, En-au-listen.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with listen?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as listen.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: silent, enlist, tinsel.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of listen
- listens present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- listening participle, present
- listened participle, past
- lis'en rare
- lissen rare
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does listen mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To use one's sense of hearing and auditory cognition in an intentional way; to make deliberate use of one's ears; to pay attention to or wait for a specific sound.
Please listen carefully as I explain.
- 2
To accept advice or obey instruction; to agree or assent.
Listen, the only reason I yelled at you was because I was upset, OK?
noun
- 1
An instance of listening.
Give the motor a listen and tell me if it sounds off.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Listen in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | écouter , tendre l'oreille, guetter |
| German | hören, zuhören, zuelose , lauschen |
| Portuguese | escutar , ouvir |
| Spanish | escuchar , atenerse , oír |
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 listen come from?
From Middle English listenen, listnen, alteration (due to Middle English listen (“to listen, give heed to”)) of Old English hlysnan (“to listen”), from Proto-Germanic *hlusnijaną, *hlusnōną (compare Middle High German lüsenen), from Proto-Germanic *hlusēną (compare Old High German hlosēn), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱlew- (“to hear”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).