thicken

/ˈθɪkən/

//ˈθɪkən// verb

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

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

The verdict

“thicken” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #41,424. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#41,424
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
7
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To make thicker (in the sense of wider).

Corpus desk

Index EN-thicken · thicken · English

thicken · rank #41,424 · 11 variants · 7 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #41,424
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 7 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH thawed

Nearest frequency peer: thawed (-2 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 “thicken”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “thicken” 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).

thicken vs ticket
71% similar
thicken vs ticker
71% similar
thicken vs thinker
71% similar

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

Key facts for thicken
PropertyValue
Headwordthicken
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈθɪkən/
Letters7
Frequency rank#41,424
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs7
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “thicken”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).thickenlands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “thawed” (#41,422), “throated” (#41,426), “thatch” (#41,421). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “thicken” is #41,424. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around thicken (IPA /ˈθɪkən/), averb. Corpus frequency is #41,424 among 3,151 “T” headwords. Wiktionary lists 7 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for thicken, with forms such as "hticken", "thciken", and "thhicken". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 7 confusable-pair relationships, "ticket", "ticker", "thinker", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English thickenen, thikkenen, perhaps from Old Norse þykkna (“to thicken”); equivalent to thick + -en. Cognate with Swedish tjockna (“to thicken”), Icelandic þykkna (“to thicken”). The correct English form is thicken, spelled T-H-I-C-K-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    To make thicker (in the sense of wider).
  2. 2
    To make thicker (in the sense of more viscous).
  3. 3
    To become thicker (in the sense of wider).
  4. 4
    To become thicker (in the sense of more viscous).
  5. 5
    To strengthen; to confirm.
  6. 6
    To make more frequent.
  7. 7
    To make more detailed or comprehensive.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. to thicken a sauce
  2. As we age, the major arteries of our bodies frequently become thickened with plaque, a fatty material with an oatmeal-like consistency that builds up along the inner lining of blood vessels. The reason plaque forms isn’t entirely known, but it seems to be related to high levels of cholesterol inducing an inflammatory response, which can also attract and t…

Etymology

From Middle English thickenen, thikkenen, perhaps from Old Norse þykkna (“to thicken”); equivalent to thick + -en. Cognate with Swedish tjockna (“to thicken”), Icelandic þykkna (“to thicken”).

Synonyms

broadenenwidenwidencondenseengrossinspissatewideninspissatebuild upreinforcestrengthenincrassatereducethickthicken

Antonyms

dilutethinwater down

This word in other languages

engrosar(Español)épaissir(Français)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • hticken
  • thciken
  • thhicken
  • thiccken
  • thicekn
  • thickenn
  • thickken
  • thickne
  • thikcen
  • tihcken
  • tthicken

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of thicken - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

hticken2thciken2thhicken1thiccken1thicekn2thickenn1thickken1thickne2
Edit distance from "thicken"

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 "thicken"?
"thicken" is spelled T-H-I-C-K-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈθɪkən/.
What does "thicken" mean?
As a verb, "thicken" means: To make thicker (in the sense of wider).
What words are commonly confused with "thicken"?
"thicken" is commonly confused with "ticket", "ticker", "thinker". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "thicken"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "thicken" is /ˈθɪkən/. 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 "thicken"?
From Middle English thickenen, thikkenen, perhaps from Old Norse þykkna (“to thicken”); equivalent to thick + -en. Cognate with Swedish tjockna (“to thicken”), Icelandic þykkna (“to thicken”). 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 "thicken", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

tweeter#41,440stepmom#41,389spyware#41,386waisted#41,463

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

twinning11 variantsunabated11 variantsunafraid11 variantsunearned11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list