Spelling.School · How to spell

How to spell fasten

Fasten is spelled F-A-S-T-E-N.

hear itfas·ten/'fæsən/verbSilent and tricky

What it means: To make something secure or tight.

In a sentence: Please fasten your seat belt before the ride starts!

The part people get wrong

Watch for an unstressed vowel that is hard to hear.

Same family: fast, fastened, fastening, unfasten, fastener. If you can spell one, the shared part carries to the others.

Where it comes from: “Fasten” comes from Old English “fæstnian,” meaning to make firm or secure, related to the adjective “fast” meaning fixed or firm rather than “quick.” Over time, the idea of making something firm or secure gave us the modern sense of fastening things like belts, doors, and buttons.

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