platen

/ˈplætən/

//ˈplætən// noun

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

"platen" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“platen” is uncommon English (frequency #95,273 among 4,417 “P” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#95,273
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 2, 2026) - The part of a printing press which presses the paper against the type and by which the impression is made.

Corpus desk

Index EN-platen · platen · English

platen · rank #95,273 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #95,273
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH playland

Nearest frequency peer: playland (+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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “platen”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “platen” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 2, 2026
Key facts for platen
PropertyValue
Headwordplaten
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈplætən/
Letters6
Frequency rank#95,273
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “platen” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). platen lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

platen is uncommon English at frequency #95,273 among 4,417 “P” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈplætən/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

platen doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From French platine, from plat (“flat”). See plate, and compare platin. The correct English form is platen, spelled P-L-A-T-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    The part of a printing press which presses the paper against the type and by which the impression is made.
  2. 2
    The part of a typewriter or printer on which the paper rests to receive an impression.
  3. 3
    The movable table of a planer or other machine tool, on which the work is fastened, and presented to the action of the tool.
  4. 4
    The flat glass surface of a scanner or photocopier on which operators place items to be scanned.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. And the form is inked, the paper is applied, the bed is slid, and the platen is levered down and the proof is printed.

Etymology

From French platine, from plat (“flat”). See plate, and compare platin.

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 2, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "platen"?
"platen" is spelled P-L-A-T-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈplætən/.
What does "platen" mean?
As a noun, "platen" means: The part of a printing press which presses the paper against the type and by which the impression is made.
How do you pronounce "platen"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "platen" is /ˈplætən/. 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 "platen"?
From French platine, from plat (“flat”). See plate, and compare platin. 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 "platen", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Pollok#95,283Perret#95,260Perino#95,258Pequot#95,256
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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list