tighten
/ˈtaɪtən/
verb
Familiar
1.v.make tight or tighter
“Tighten the wire”
2.v.become tight or tighter
“The rope tightened”
3.v.severely restrict in scope or extent
“tighten the rules”
Loading page
tighten and titan are homophones: they are pronounced identically and spelled differently, which is why they are so often swapped. tighten means “make tight or tighter”. titan means “a person of exceptional importance and reputation”.
/ˈtaɪtən/
1.v.make tight or tighter
“Tighten the wire”
2.v.become tight or tighter
“The rope tightened”
3.v.severely restrict in scope or extent
“tighten the rules”
/ˈtaɪtən/
1.n.a person of exceptional importance and reputation
2.n.(Greek mythology) any of the primordial giant gods who ruled the Earth until overthrown by Zeus; the Titans were offspring of Uranus (Heaven) and Gaea (Earth)
3.n.the largest of the satellites of Saturn; has a hazy nitrogen atmosphere
| tighten | titan | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ˈtaɪtən/ | /ˈtaɪtən/ |
| Said | TAHY-tuhn | TAHY-tuhn |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Letters | 7 | 5 |
| Parts of speech | verb | noun |
| Senses | 4 | 3 |
| How common | Familiar | Familiar |
| Synonyms | fasten | colossus, behemoth, giant |
Full entry for tighten · Full entry for titan · More comparisons