# thicken

> English word · Verb · IPA /ˈθɪkən/ · frequency rank #41,424

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

## 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”).

## Easily confused with
- **ticket** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/thicken-vs-ticket)
- **ticker** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/thicken-vs-ticker)
- **thinker** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/thicken-vs-thinker)
- **thicket** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/thicken-vs-thicket)
- **thickly** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/thicken-vs-thickly)
- **thick** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/thick-vs-thicken)
- **thicke** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/thicke-vs-thicken)

## Common misspellings (11)
`hticken`, `thciken`, `thhicken`, `thiccken`, `thicekn`, `thickenn`, `thickken`, `thickne`, `thikcen`, `tihcken`, `tthicken`

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