loosen
/ˈlusən/verb
loosen is spelled L-O-O-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). As a verb, loosen means “To make loose” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in loosen?
| Letters | 6: L-O-O-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 |
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).
How common is loosen?
Loosen 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 loosen?
- UK /ˈluːsən/
- British /ˈlʉwsən/
- US /ˈlusən/
Loosen 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-loosen.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of loosen
- loosens present, singular, he/she/it
- loosening participle, present
- loosened participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does loosen mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To make loose.
to loosen a knot; to loosen one's grip / hold on something
- 2
To become loose.
I noticed that my seatbelt had gradually loosened during the journey.
- 3
To disengage (a device that restrains).
- 4
To become unfastened or undone.
- 5
To free from restraint; to set at liberty.
- 6
To relieve (the bowels) from constipation; to promote defecation.
- 7
obsoleteTo create a breach or rift between (two parties).
- 8
obsoleteTo sail away (from the shore).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Loosen in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | desserrer |
| German | lösen, lockern |
| Portuguese | afrouxar , soltar, liberar, libertar |
| Spanish | aflojar, soltar, arriar, filar, destensar, desajustar |
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 loosen come from?
From loose + -en.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).