Lessen

How to spell lessen

6 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce lessen

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does lessen mean?

1. verbTo make something smaller in amount, degree, or intensity, or to become smaller.

Lessen in a sentence

• Taking the medication on time should lessen the pain.

• Careful budgeting will lessen the strain on the family finances.

Where does lessen come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

This word is built from the native English adjective 'less', which goes back to Old English 'lǣssa', meaning 'smaller' or 'fewer', a comparative form rooted in the Germanic family of words for smallness. To it English added the productive suffix '-en', the same ending that turns 'soft' into 'soften' and 'hard' into 'harden', carrying the sense 'to make or become'. The combined form 'lessen', meaning 'to make less' or 'to grow less', appeared in Middle English around the late 1300s. Because it shares its first syllable and its entire sound with the unrelated noun 'lesson' (which came instead from Latin 'lectio', a reading), the two are constant spelling rivals. The handy memory hook is that 'lessen' contains 'less', so it always means to reduce something.

How the word is built

• less (smaller in amount)
• -en (verb suffix: to make or become)

Words that sound like lessen

They sound the same but mean different things, so the meaning decides which spelling to write.

• lesson: A period of instruction in a subject, or something learned from experience.