warden
/ˈwɔɹdən/noun, verb
warden is spelled W-A-R-D-E-N: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 4.3 times per million words in written English, the 12,397th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, warden means “A chief administrative officer of a prison” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of warden is wardens.
How many letters and syllables are in warden?
| Letters | 6: W-A-R-D-E-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 4.3 times per million words; the 12,397th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with | |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is warden?
Warden appears 4.3 times per million words in written English, the 12,397th 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 warden?
- UK /ˈwɔːdən/
- US /ˈwɔɹdən/
Warden has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-warden.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with warden?
2 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as warden from its last stressed vowel (/ɔɹdən/):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: wander.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of warden
- wardens plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- wardening participle, present
- wardened participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does warden mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
archaicA guard or watchman.
- 2
A chief administrative officer of a prison.
- 3
An official charged with supervisory duties or with the enforcement of specific laws or regulations; such as a game warden or air-raid warden.
- 4
A governing official in various institutions
the warden of a college
- 5
A variety of pear.
verb
- 1
To carry out the duties of a warden.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Warden in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | directeur de prison |
| German | Gefängnisdirektor, Gefängnisdirektorin , Aufseher |
| Portuguese | diretor (de presídio) , supervisor |
| Spanish | alcaide, casillero , comandante, guardabosque(s), director, guardapesca |
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 warden come from?
From Middle English wardein, from Anglo-Norman wardein, from warder (“to guard”), variant of Old French guarder (“to guard”) (whence modern French garder, also English guard), from Proto-Germanic *wardāną; related to Old High German wartēn (“to watch”). Compare guardian, French gardien, from Old French guardian, guardein. Compare also ward and reward. Doublet of guardian.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).