threaten

/ˈθɹɛt.n̩/

//ˈθɹɛt.n̩// verb

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

"threaten" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“threaten” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #7,861. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#7,861
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
7
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To make a threat against someone; to use threats.

Corpus desk

Index EN-threaten · threaten · English

threaten · rank #7,861 · 12 variants · 7 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #7,861
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 7 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH themed

Nearest frequency peer: themed (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “threaten”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “threaten” 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).

threaten vs treated
75% similar
threaten vs threats
75% similar
threaten vs throated
75% similar

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

Key facts for threaten
PropertyValue
Headwordthreaten
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈθɹɛt.n̩/
Letters8
Frequency rank#7,861
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs7
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “threaten”

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “themed” (#7,860), “thrilled” (#7,862), “terrified” (#7,859). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “threaten” is #7,861. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around threaten (IPA /ˈθɹɛt.n̩/), averb. Corpus frequency is #7,861 among 3,151 “T” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for threaten, with forms such as "htreaten", "theraten", and "thhreaten". 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, "treated", "threats", "throated", 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 thretenen, from Old English þrēatnian (“to urge, force, compel”), equivalent to threat + -en. The correct English form is threaten, spelled T-H-R-E-A-T-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    To make a threat against someone; to use threats.
  2. 2
    To menace, or be dangerous.
  3. 3
    To portend, or give a warning of.
  4. 4
    To call into question the validity of (a belief, idea, or viewpoint); to challenge.
  5. 5
    To be close to equaling or surpassing (a record, etc.); to challenge.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. No one, however, would have anything to do with him, as Mr. Keeson's orders in those respects were very strict ; he had often threatened any one of his employés with instant dismissal if he found him in company with one of these touts.
  2. "Taiwanese are very enthusiastic and love freedom and democracy, so many good international friends have come to Taiwan to support us. This is a normal and good thing, but China threatens and intimidates Taiwan," she said. "However, I would like to reassure everyone that both our government and the military are prepared, and I will definitely take care of…

Etymology

From Middle English thretenen, from Old English þrēatnian (“to urge, force, compel”), equivalent to threat + -en.

This word in other languages

amenazar(Español)menacer(Français)drohen(Deutsch)ameaçar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • htreaten
  • theraten
  • thhreaten
  • thraeten
  • threaetn
  • threatenn
  • threatne
  • threatten
  • thretaen
  • thrreaten
  • trheaten
  • tthreaten

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of threaten - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

htreaten2theraten2thhreaten1thraeten2threaetn2threatenn1threatne2threatten1
Edit distance from "threaten"

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 "threaten"?
"threaten" is spelled T-H-R-E-A-T-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈθɹɛt.n̩/.
What does "threaten" mean?
As a verb, "threaten" means: To make a threat against someone; to use threats.
What words are commonly confused with "threaten"?
"threaten" is commonly confused with "treated", "threats", "throated". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "threaten"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "threaten" is /ˈθɹɛt.n̩/. 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 "threaten"?
From Middle English thretenen, from Old English þrēatnian (“to urge, force, compel”), equivalent to threat + -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 "threaten", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

thrilled#7,862verified#7,870airports#7,878Berkeley#7,887

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

profound12 variantsmodeling12 variantsincorrect12 variantsincoming12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list