Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

deafen

/ˈdɛfən/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.78 in modern English

Syllables
deaf-en
IPA
/ˈdɛfən/
10
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
2
Syllables
5
Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To make deaf, either temporarily or permanently.

Transitive verb

verb

To make soundproof.

Transitive verb

verb

To stun, as with noise.

Transitive verb

Example Sentences

Etymology

From deaf + -en (verbal suffix). Compare Middle English deven, deaven (“to make deaf”), Old English ādēafian (“to deafen”) and Old English ādȳfan, Dutch verdoven (“to stupefy, deafen”), German betäuben (“to stun, stupefy, deafen”).

Word Breakdown

Usage

Inflected Forms

deafens (present, singular) deafening (participle, present) deafened (participle, past) deafened (past)

Derived Forms

bedeafen deafener undeafen undeafened

Synonyms

deaf

Rhymes With

stephan steffen geffen stephen

Questions

How do you pronounce deafen?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈdɛfən/.
What does deafen mean?
To make deaf, either temporarily or permanently.
Where does deafen come from?
From deaf + -en (verbal suffix). Compare Middle English deven, deaven (“to make deaf”), Old English ādēafian (“to deafen”) and Old English ādȳfan, Dutch verdoven (“to stupefy, deafen”), German betäuben (“to stun, stupefy, deafen”).

How to pronounce deafen

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