# liven

> English word · Verb · IPA /ˈlaɪvən/ · frequency rank #45,486

## Definitions
1. To cause to be more lively, or to become more lively.

## Etymology
Partly from life + -en; partly from live (adjective) + -en; and partly a shortening of enliven. Cognate with Norwegian Nynorsk livna (“to quicken, come alive”), Faroese livna (“to come to life, come alive”), Icelandic lifna (“to come to life”).

## Easily confused with
- **love** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/liven-vs-love)
- **Livy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/liven-vs-livy)
- **lives** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/liven-vs-lives)
- **loved** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/liven-vs-loved)
- **loves** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/liven-vs-loves)
- **lover** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/liven-vs-lover)
- **liver** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/liven-vs-liver)
- **Lovin** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/liven-vs-lovin)
- **livin** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/liven-vs-livin)
- **lumen** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/liven-vs-lumen)
- **livid** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/liven-vs-livid)
- **lovey** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/liven-vs-lovey)
- **Livia** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/liven-vs-livia)
- **living** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/liven-vs-living)
- **livery** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/liven-vs-livery)
- **Livers** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/liven-vs-livers)
- **lie** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lie-vs-liven)
- **lin** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lin-vs-liven)
- **Len** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/len-vs-liven)
- **Liv** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/liv-vs-liven)

## Common misspellings (7)
`ilven`, `lievn`, `livenn`, `livne`, `livven`, `lliven`, `lvien`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/liven