worsen
/ˈwɜːsn̩/
"worsen" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“worsen” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #27,032 in English word frequency and used as a verb.
- #27,032
- frequency rank, English
- 6
- letters
- 9
- tracked misspellings
- 15
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To make worse; to impair.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | worsen |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /ˈwɜːsn̩/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Frequency rank | #27,032 |
| Misspellings tracked | 9 |
| Confusable pairs | 15 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “worsen” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for worsen is 6 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈwɜːsn̩/. Corpus data places it at rank #27,032 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for worsen, with forms such as "owrsen", "woresn", and "worrsen". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 15 confusable-pair relationships, "wren", "worst", "woven", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English wursnen; equivalent to worse + -en. The correct English form is worsen, spelled W-O-R-S-E-N.
Definition
- 1To make worse; to impair.
- 2To become worse; to get worse.
- 3To get the better of; to worst.
Etymology
From Middle English wursnen; equivalent to worse + -en.
Synonyms
Antonyms
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: owrsen,woresn,worrsen,worsenn,worsne,worssen,wosren,wrosen,wworsen
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of worsen - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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 "worsen"?
What does "worsen" mean?
What words are commonly confused with "worsen"?
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Using “worsen”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is W-O-R-S-E-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈwɜːsn̩/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “wren” - see the side-by-side comparison. worsen vs wren
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.