make matters worse
"make-matters-worse" is a 16-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“make matters worse” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 18
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To worsen an already difficult situation or unfavourable set of circumstances, typically by acting rashly, foolishly, or incompetently.
Corpus desk
Index EN-make-matters-worse · make matters worse · English
make matters worse · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-MEGA 18 letters
- VOW-6 6 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "M" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern
Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | make matters worse |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| Letters | 18 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “make matters worse” in English
Rare enough to double-check
make matters worse is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as averb. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "To worsen an already difficult situation or unfavourable set of circumstances, typically by acting rashly, foolishly, or incompetently.".
No generated misspelling entries exist for make matters worse in our index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.
No documented word history exists for this headword, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct English form is make matters worse, spelled M-A-K-E- -M-A-T-T-E-R-S- -W-O-R-S-E.
Definition
- 1To worsen an already difficult situation or unfavourable set of circumstances, typically by acting rashly, foolishly, or incompetently.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how make matters worse appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
His resentful attitude only made matters worse during the custody proceedings.
The mistake came about when there seemed to be little danger as Dicko swung in an innocuous cross, but the keeper somehow spilled the ball for Henry to head into an empty net. To make matters worse his error came in front of Gordon Strachan, the Scotland manager.
Synonyms
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.