steepen
/ˈstiː.pən/verb
steepen is spelled S-T-E-E-P-E-N: 7 letters. It appears about once in every 56 million words in written English, the 234,209th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, steepen means “To make steeper” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in steepen?
| Letters | 7: S-T-E-E-P-E-N |
|---|---|
| In writing | about once in every 56 million words; the 234,209th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is steepen?
Steepen appears about once in every 56 million words in written English, the 234,209th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce steepen?
- /ˈstiː.pən/
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-steepen.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of steepen
- steepens present, singular, he/she/it
- steepening participle, present
- steepened participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does steepen mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To make steeper.
- 2
To become steeper.
As the way steepened […] I could detect in the hollow of the hill some traces of the old path.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Steepen in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense to make steeper:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | steiler machen |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does steepen come from?
From steep + -en. Compare Old English stīepan (“to steepen”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).