# sixteen

> English word · Numeral · IPA /ˈsɪks.tiːn/ · frequency rank #7,743

## Definitions
1. The cardinal number occurring after fifteen and before seventeen, represented in Arabic numerals as 16 and in Roman numerals as XVI.

## Etymology
Inherited from Middle English sextene, sixtene, from Old English sixtīene, from Proto-Germanic *sehstehun. Cognate with West Frisian sechstjin, Dutch zestien, German sechzehn, Danish seksten. Equivalent to six + -teen.

## Easily confused with
- **steen** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sixteen-vs-steen)
- **sixties** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sixteen-vs-sixties)
- **sixteenth** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sixteen-vs-sixteenth)

## Common misspellings (10)
`isxteen`, `sitxeen`, `sixeten`, `sixteenn`, `sixten`, `sixtene`, `sixtteen`, `sixxteen`, `ssixteen`, `sxiteen`

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