listen
/ˈlɪs.ən/
"listen" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“listen” is in the everyday core of English, ranked #929 in English word frequency and used as a verb.
- #929
- frequency rank, English
- 6
- letters
- 9
- tracked misspellings
- 20
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - 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.
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 | listen |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /ˈlɪs.ən/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Frequency rank | #929 |
| Misspellings tracked | 9 |
| Confusable pairs | 20 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “listen” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for listen is 6 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈlɪs.ən/. Corpus data places it at rank #929 in overall English word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for listen, with forms such as "ilsten", "lisetn", and "lissten". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "lite", "lists", "liter", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.
Etymologically, the entry records: 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 … The correct English form is listen, spelled L-I-S-T-E-N.
Definition
- 1To 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.
- 2To accept advice or obey instruction; to agree or assent.
Etymology
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”). Cognate with Swedish lyssna (“to listen”). Compare Ancient Greek κλαίω (klaíō, “to make known, famous”), Welsh clywed (“to hear”), Latin clueō (“to be famous”), Lithuanian klausýti, Old Church Slavonic слушати (slušati, “to hear”), Sanskrit श्रोषति (śróṣati, “an exclamation used in making an offering with fire to the gods or departed spirits”) & Sanskrit श्लोक्य (ślókya, “voice, sound, noisy”)). Related to loud and German lauschen.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: ilsten,lisetn,lissten,listenn,listne,listten,litsen,llisten,lsiten
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of listen - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.
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 "listen"?
What does "listen" mean?
What words are commonly confused with "listen"?
How do you pronounce "listen"?
What is the origin of the word "listen"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “listen”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is L-I-S-T-E-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈlɪs.ən/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “lite” - see the side-by-side comparison. listen vs lite
- 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.