WEYE-duhn
/ˈwaɪdən/
widen is pronounced WEYE-duhn (/ˈwaɪdən/). Widen is a transitive verb meaning to make something wider or broader, or to become wider. It describes increasing the horizontal distance or extent of an object, space, or concept, often implying expansion or broadening. In usage, it appears in contexts from physical dimensions to metaphorical scope, and can also describe increasing openness or tolerance.
Widen is a transitive verb meaning to make something wider or broader, or to become wider. It describes increasing the horizontal distance or extent of an object, space, or concept, often implying expansion or broadening. In usage, it appears in contexts from physical dimensions to metaphorical scope, and can also describe increasing openness or tolerance.
"The road will widen after the next intersection to improve traffic flow."
"She widened her time horizon to include more long-range goals."
"The gap between the two teams widened as the game progressed."
Pronounce it as /ˈwaɪ.dən/ in US and UK, with the first syllable stressed. The 'wi' forms a long vowel combining /waɪ/ (like 'why'), followed by a soft /dən/ or /dən̩/ in rapid speech. In American and many UK varieties, the second syllable is a schwa or a reduced syllable. You can think: 'WHY-dən.'
Common errors: 1) Dropping the /d/ or turning it into a silent letter, giving /ˈwaɪən/; 2) Fusing the second syllable into a quick /ɪn/ or /ən/ without true schwa, making it sound like /ˈwaɪˌdn̩/ is not fully realized. Correction: clearly articulate the /d/ as a separate consonant and use a light, unstressed schwa /dən/ rather than a full vowel; space the consonants evenly: /ˈwaɪ.dən/.
US/UK both: /ˈwaɪ.dən/. US tends to have a clearer /d/ and a lighter /ən/; UK often devoices the final syllable slightly and may have a shorter /ɪ/ in a quick speech. Australian: tends to be more relaxed; the final /ən/ may be a syllabic /n̩/ with a softer vowel. Overall, rhoticity isn’t a major factor here; the first syllable remains stress-bearing across accents.
Two main challenges: the diphthong /waɪ/ in the first syllable is a move from /w/ into a high front vowel; the second syllable /dən/ requires a quick, weakly stressed schwa with a tap-like /d/ release before it. Many speakers reduce the second syllable to /n/ or /ən/ or insert an extra vowel. Practicing the distinct /d/ stop and maintaining the /ɪ/ quality in normal speech helps.
There are no silent letters in widen, but the stress is fixed on the first syllable: /ˈwaɪ.dən/. The second syllable is light and often reduced to /dən/ or /dən̩/ in connected speech. A common trap is stressing the second syllable or weakening the first; keep the primary emphasis on the first syllable for natural rhythm.
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US vs UK vs AU: • US: clear /d/ release, reduced schwa /ən/; rhotic, but rhoticity does not affect this word much. • UK: more clipped vowels, possible vowel shortening in /aɪ/ and a lighter /ən/; non-rhotic tendencies may subtly influence intonation. • AU: relaxed vowels, slightly longer or more centralized /ə/; non-rhotic as well but with broader vowel qualities. IPA anchors: US /ˈwaɪ.dən/, UK /ˈwaɪ.dən/, AU /ˈwaɪ.dən/. Practice with a focus on the /d/ release and the schwa in the final syllable across accents.
Widen comes from the Old English word widian, which itself derives from wid “wide, broad.” The verb related to width appears in Germanic roots shared with Old High German weit (wide) and Dutch wijd. The form widened to Middle English widenen before stabilizing in modern usage. The sense shifted from “to make wide” to “to become wider” through analytic extension in English, with the participle widened and the present tense widen. Over time, widen has retained a fairly literal sense of increasing breadth, but it also appears metaphorically in contexts like widening horizons or widening gaps, illustrating semantic broadening from physical dimensions to abstract scope. The core idea remains the same: increasing the extent or width of something, whether tangible or conceptual.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "widen" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "widen" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "widen"
-den sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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