# silken

> English word · Adjective · IPA /ˈsɪlkən/ · frequency rank #46,178

## Definitions
1. Made of silk.
2. Synonym of silky, like silk, silklike, particularly
3. Synonym of silky, like silk, silklike, particularly
4. Dressed in silk.

## Etymology
From Middle English silken, selken, seolkene, from Old English seolcen, from seolc (“silk”) + -en, from an unattested early Proto-West Germanic borrowing from Latin sēricum, from Ancient Greek σηρικός (sērikós, “silken”), from σήρ (sḗr, “silkworm”) + -ικός (-ikós, “-ic”). Equivalent to silk + -en (“made of”). Cognate with Scots selkin, silkin (“silken”), Icelandic silki (“silken”).

## Easily confused with
- **siren** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/silken-vs-siren)
- **silky** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/silken-vs-silky)
- **silver** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/silken-vs-silver)
- **spoken** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/silken-vs-spoken)
- **sunken** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/silken-vs-sunken)
- **spleen** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/silken-vs-spleen)
- **sullen** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/silken-vs-sullen)
- **sinker** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/silken-vs-sinker)
- **silk** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/silk-vs-silken)
- **silent** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/silent-vs-silken)
- **shaken** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/shaken-vs-silken)
- **sicker** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sicker-vs-silken)

## Common misspellings (9)
`islken`, `siklen`, `silekn`, `silkenn`, `silkken`, `silkne`, `sillken`, `sliken`, `ssilken`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/silken