Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

den

/ˈdɛn/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: 4.01 in modern English

Syllables
den
IPA
/ˈdɛn/
4
Scrabble Score
3
Letters
1
Syllables
3
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A small cavern or hollow place in the side of a hill, or among rocks; especially, a cave used by a wild animal for shelter or concealment.

noun

A squalid or wretched place; a haunt.

noun

A comfortable room not used for formal entertaining.

noun

Synonym of fort (“structure improvised from furniture, etc. for playing games.”).

noun

A narrow glen; a ravine; a dell.

British usage; Obsolete

noun

A group of Cub Scouts of the same age who work on projects together.

verb

To ensconce or hide oneself in (or as in) a den.

verb

Of an animal, to use as a den; to take up residence in.

Intransitive verb

Example Sentences

Etymology

From Middle English den, from Old English denn (“den, lair (of a beast), cave; a swine-pasture, a woodland pasture for swine”), from Proto-West Germanic *dani (“threshing-floor, barn-floor”). Cognate with Scots den (“den, lair”), Middle Dutch denne (“burrow, den, cave, attic”), Dutch den (“ship's deck, threshing-floor, mountain floor”), Middle Low German denne, danne (“threshing-floor, small dale”), German Tenne (“threshing-floor, barn for threshing”).

Origin

Word Breakdown

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈdɛn/
  • British English: /ˈdɛn/

Usage

Inflected Forms

dens (plural) dens (present, singular) denning (participle, present) denned (participle, past) denned (past)

Derived Forms

denful denlike denner Walsden

Phrases

beard the lion in his den Boris's den dealer's den den mother den of iniquity dragon's den drug den gambling den

Frequently Paired Words

living room living-room lounge loungeroom lounge room parlour parlor sitting room

Synonyms

lair luster Wiktionary appendix of animal terms, including their homes family room sunroom Florida room Arizona room rec room playroom fort

Homonyms

din (pin–pen merger)

Rhymes With

when then again men ten ben en pen gen cnn ken sen

Questions

How do you pronounce den?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈdɛn/.
What does den mean?
A small cavern or hollow place in the side of a hill, or among rocks; especially, a cave used by a wild animal for shelter or concealment.
Where does den come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce den

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “den”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈdɛn/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “den”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “den” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.