quicken

/ˈkwɪk(ə)n/

//ˈkwɪk(ə)n// verb

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

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

The verdict

“quicken” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #34,655. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#34,655
frequency rank, English
288
“Q” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
5
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Senses relating to life or states of activity.

Corpus desk

Index EN-quicken · quicken · English

quicken · rank #34,655 · 10 variants · 5 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #34,655
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 5 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-MID 288
  • PHOTO-FINISH Qantas

Nearest frequency peer: Qantas (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “quicken”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “quicken” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

quicken vs quickly
71% similar
quicken vs quicker
86% similar
quicken vs quickie
71% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for quicken
PropertyValue
Headwordquicken
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈkwɪk(ə)n/
Letters7
Frequency rank#34,655
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs5
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “quicken”

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).quickenlands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “Qantas” (#34,654), “quicksilver” (#34,656), “purview” (#34,653). Among 288 “Q” headwords, “quicken” is #34,655. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around quicken (IPA /ˈkwɪk(ə)n/), averb. Corpus frequency is #34,655 among 288 “Q” headwords. Wiktionary lists 17 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for quicken, with forms such as "qiucken", "qquicken", and "quciken". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 5 confusable-pair relationships, "quickly", "quicker", "quickie", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English quikenen (“to become alive again after dying; to raise (someone) from the dead; to regain consciousness or strength; to give vitality, revive; to regain validity; to nourish; to spare (the life of someone or something); to ignite; to ill… The correct English form is quicken, spelled Q-U-I-C-K-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Senses relating to life or states of activity.
  2. 2
    Senses relating to life or states of activity.
  3. 3
    Senses relating to life or states of activity.
  4. 4
    Senses relating to life or states of activity.
  5. 5
    Senses relating to life or states of activity.
  6. 6
    Senses relating to life or states of activity.
  7. 7
    Senses relating to life or states of activity.
  8. 8
    Senses relating to life or states of activity.
  9. 9
    Senses relating to life or states of activity.
  10. 10
    Senses relating to life or states of activity.
  11. 11
    Senses relating to life or states of activity.
  12. 12
    Senses relating to life or states of activity.
  13. 13
    Senses relating to life or states of activity.
  14. 14
    Senses relating to life or states of activity.
  15. 15
    Senses relating to speed.
  16. 16
    Senses relating to speed.
  17. 17
    Senses relating to speed.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. […] Italy had quickened Cecil, not to tolerance, but to irritation. He saw that the local society was narrow, but, instead of saying, "Does this very much matter?" he rebelled, and tried to substitute for it the society he called broad.
  2. For ſurely, a rich Land, guardleſs and undefended, muſt needs have been a double Incitement, and ſuch an one, as might not only admit, but even invite the Enemy. It was like a fruitful Garden, or a fair Vineyard without an Hedge, that quickens the Appetite to enjoy ſo tempting, and withal ſo eaſy a Prize.

Etymology

From Middle English quikenen (“to become alive again after dying; to raise (someone) from the dead; to regain consciousness or strength; to give vitality, revive; to regain validity; to nourish; to spare (the life of someone or something); to ignite; to illuminate; of events: to happen more quickly; of clouds: to form”) [and other forms], from quiken (“to come to life; to become alive again after dying; to give or regain vitality, revive; of a seed: to germinate, grow; to arouse (anger); to inspire; to reinforce, strengthen; to make (a substance) alchemically active; to nourish, sustain; to sharpen; to ignite; to illuminate; of news: to spread”) + -en (suffix forming the infinitive forms of verbs). Quiken is derived from Old English cwician (“to bring to life, vivify; to come to life, become living; to quicken”), from cwic (“alive, live, living; mentally agile; intelligent, keen”) (ultimately from Proto-Germanic *kwikwaz (“alive; lively; quick”) and Proto-Indo-European *gʷeyh₃- (“to live”)) + -ian (suffix forming verbs from adjectives and nouns). The English word may be analysed as quick (“moving with swiftness; occurring in a short time; (archaic) alive, living; (archaic) pregnant”) + -en (suffix attached to some adjectives forming transitive verbs meaning ‘to make [adjective]’). Cognates * Danish kvikne (“to quicken, revive”) * Icelandic kvikna (“to ignite; to turn on”) * Swedish kvickna (“to revive”)

This word in other languages

agilizar(Español)agilizar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • qiucken
  • qquicken
  • quciken
  • quiccken
  • quicekn
  • quickenn
  • quickken
  • quickne
  • quikcen
  • uqicken

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of quicken - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

qiucken2qquicken1quciken2quiccken1quicekn2quickenn1quickken1quickne2
Edit distance from "quicken"

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 "quicken"?
"quicken" is spelled Q-U-I-C-K-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkwɪk(ə)n/.
What does "quicken" mean?
As a verb, "quicken" means: Senses relating to life or states of activity.
What words are commonly confused with "quicken"?
"quicken" is commonly confused with "quickly", "quicker", "quickie". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "quicken"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "quicken" is /ˈkwɪk(ə)n/. 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 "quicken"?
From Middle English quikenen (“to become alive again after dying; to raise (someone) from the dead; to regain consciousness or strength; to give vitality, revive; to regain validity; to nourish; to spare (the life of someone or something); to igni... 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 "quicken", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

purview#34,653ravioli#34,661precede#34,642pollute#34,640

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

paltry10 variantsspatula10 variantsnotepad10 variantstetanus10 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list