slacken

/ˈslæ.kən/

//ˈslæ.kən// verb

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

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

The verdict

“slacken” is uncommon English (frequency #95,423 among 6,566 “S” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#95,423
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To gradually decrease in intensity or tautness; to become slack; to lag.

Corpus desk

Index EN-slacken · slacken · English

slacken · rank #95,423 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #95,423
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH slapdash

Nearest frequency peer: slapdash (+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 “slacken”

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

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “slacken” 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 3, 2026
Key facts for slacken
PropertyValue
Headwordslacken
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈslæ.kən/
Letters7
Frequency rank#95,423
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “slacken” sits in English frequency

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).slackenlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “slapdash” (#95,424), “sixfold” (#95,421), “situs” (#95,420). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

slacken is uncommon English at frequency #95,423 among 6,566 “S” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /ˈslæ.kən/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

slacken doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. 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 Middle English slakenen, equivalent to slack + -en. The correct English form is slacken, spelled S-L-A-C-K-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    To gradually decrease in intensity or tautness; to become slack; to lag.
  2. 2
    To make slack, less taut, or less intense.
  3. 3
    To deprive of cohesion by combining chemically with water; to slake.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The pace slackened.
  2. He seemed tired, and the Rat let him rest unquestioned, understanding something of what was in his thoughts; knowing, too, the value all animals attach at times to mere silent companionship, when the weary muscles slacken and the mind marks time.

Etymology

From Middle English slakenen, equivalent to slack + -en.

This word in other languages

aflojar(Español)entspannen(Deutsch)afrouxar(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 "slacken"?
"slacken" is spelled S-L-A-C-K-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈslæ.kən/.
What does "slacken" mean?
As a verb, "slacken" means: To gradually decrease in intensity or tautness; to become slack; to lag.
How do you pronounce "slacken"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "slacken" is /ˈslæ.kən/. 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 "slacken"?
From Middle English slakenen, equivalent to slack + -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 "slacken", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

sixfold#95,421sieving#95,415sicario#95,411Southam#95,436

What to do next

You've looked up "slacken". Here's where to go from here.

  • Usage frequency rank #95,423 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
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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