# harmful vs hurtful

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### harmful
*adjective · IPA /ˈhɑːmfl̩/ · frequency rank #7,458*
Causing or likely to cause harm or damage; injurious.

### hurtful
*adjective · IPA /ˈhɜːtfʊl/ · frequency rank #19,617*
Tending to impair or damage; injurious; occasioning loss or injury.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-09-03.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/harmful-vs-hurtful