worsen
/ˈwɝsn̩/verb
worsen is spelled W-O-R-S-E-N: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 1.1 times per million words in written English, the 26,776th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, worsen means “To make worse; to impair” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in worsen?
| Letters | 6: W-O-R-S-E-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.1 times per million words; the 26,776th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
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).
How common is worsen?
Worsen appears 1.1 times per million words in written English, the 26,776th 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 worsen?
- UK /ˈwɜːsn̩/
- /wɔːsn̩/
- US /ˈwɝsn̩/
Worsen 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-worsen.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of worsen
- worsens present, singular, he/she/it
- worsening participle, present
- worsened participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does worsen mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To make worse; to impair.
Near-synonyms: aggravate, exacerbate; degrade, deteriorate; see also Thesaurus:aggravate
- 2
To become worse; to get worse.
The weather has worsened.
- 3
obsoleteTo get the better of; to worst.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Worsen in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | empirer |
| German | verschlechtern, verschlimmern , sich verschlechtern, sich verschlimmern |
| Portuguese | piorar, empiorar |
| Spanish | empeorar, desmejorar, ir de mal en peor, peorar, peyorar, pasar de guatemala a guatepeor |
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 worsen come from?
From Middle English wursnen; equivalent to worse + -en.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).