moisten

/ˈmɔɪsən/

//ˈmɔɪsən// verb

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"moisten" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“moisten” is uncommon English (frequency #70,917 among 4,057 “M” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#70,917
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To make moist or moister.

Corpus desk

Index EN-moisten · moisten · English

moisten · rank #70,917 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #70,917
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH Moises

Nearest frequency peer: Moises (-1 rank slots)

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.

Long-tail ranks near “moisten”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “moisten” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for moisten
PropertyValue
Headwordmoisten
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈmɔɪsən/
Letters7
Frequency rank#70,917
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “moisten” in English

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).moistenfalls in this rarity band:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “Moises” (#70,916), “Moniz” (#70,918), “Mohammedan” (#70,915). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “moisten” is #70,917. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

moisten is uncommon English at frequency #70,917 among 4,057 “M” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /ˈmɔɪsən/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for moisten, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From moist + -en. The correct English form is moisten, spelled M-O-I-S-T-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    To make moist or moister.
  2. 2
    To become moist or moister.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how moisten appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. She put on some lip balm to moisten her lips.
  2. His eyes began to moisten as he held back tears.

Etymology

From moist + -en.

This word in other languages

humedecer(Español)humidifier(Français)anfeuchten(Deutsch)humedecer(Português)

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 "moisten"?
"moisten" is spelled M-O-I-S-T-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmɔɪsən/.
What does "moisten" mean?
As a verb, "moisten" means: To make moist or moister.
How do you pronounce "moisten"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "moisten" is /ˈmɔɪsən/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "moisten"?
From moist + -en. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "moisten", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

mordant#70,922mourner#70,928Murrell#70,936Muscovy#70,940

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list