hard

/hɑːd/

//hɑːd// adj

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"hard" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“hard” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #273. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#273
frequency rank, English
2,646
“H” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 2, 2026) - Solid and firm.

Corpus desk

Index EN-hard · hard · English

hard · rank #273 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-CORE #273
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,646
  • PHOTO-FINISH four

Nearest frequency peer: four (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Frequency neighbourhood for “hard”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “hard” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 2, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

hard vs HD
0% similar
hard vs HR
0% similar
hard vs has
50% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for hard
PropertyValue
Headwordhard
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/hɑːd/
Letters4
Frequency rank#273
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “hard” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). hard lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around hard (IPA /hɑːd/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #273 among 2,646 “H” headwords. Wiktionary lists 31 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for hard, with forms such as "ahrd", "hadr", and "hardd". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "HD", "HR", "has", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English hard, from Old English heard, from Proto-West Germanic *hard(ī), from Proto-Germanic *harduz, from Proto-Indo-European *kort-ús, from *kret- (“strong, powerful”). Cognates Cognate with Yola hard (“hard”), West Frisian hurd (“hard”), Alem… The correct English form is hard, spelled H-A-R-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    Solid and firm.
  2. 2
    Solid and firm.
  3. 3
    Solid and firm.
  4. 4
    Solid and firm.
  5. 5
    Solid and firm.
  6. 6
    Solid and firm.
  7. 7
    Solid and firm.
  8. 8
    Solid and firm.
  9. 9
    Solid and firm.
  10. 10
    Having a severe property; presenting difficulty.
  11. 11
    Having a severe property; presenting difficulty.
  12. 12
    Having a severe property; presenting difficulty.
  13. 13
    Having a severe property; presenting difficulty.
  14. 14
    Having a severe property; presenting difficulty.
  15. 15
    Having a severe property; presenting difficulty.
  16. 16
    Having a severe property; presenting difficulty.
  17. 17
    Unquestionable; unequivocal.
  18. 18
    Having a comparatively larger or a ninety-degree angle.
  19. 19
    Sexually aroused; having an erect penis.
  20. 20
    Having muscles that are tightened as a result of intense, regular exercise.
  21. 21
    Fortis.
  22. 22
    Fortis.
  23. 23
    Velarized or plain, rather than palatalized.
  24. 24
    Having a severe property; presenting a barrier to enjoyment.
  25. 25
    Having a severe property; presenting a barrier to enjoyment.
  26. 26
    In a physical form, not digital.
  27. 27
    Using a manual or physical process, not by means of a software command.
  28. 28
    Far, extreme.
  29. 29
    Of silk: not having had the natural gum boiled off.
  30. 30
    Of a market: having more demand than supply; being a seller's market.
  31. 31
    Hardcore.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how hard appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Luckily she wasn’t there any more, no one was, when he returned from the Caribbean carnival damp-hatted and soaked through after being caught unprepared by a squall of hard, hot rain.
  2. This bread is so stale and hard, I can barely cut it.

Etymology

From Middle English hard, from Old English heard, from Proto-West Germanic *hard(ī), from Proto-Germanic *harduz, from Proto-Indo-European *kort-ús, from *kret- (“strong, powerful”). Cognates Cognate with Yola hard (“hard”), West Frisian hurd (“hard”), Alemannic German hert (“hard”), Bavarian hoat (“hard”), Central Franconian haat (“hard”), Dutch hard (“hard”), German hart (“hard”), Luxembourgish haart (“hard”), Danish, Swedish hård (“hard”), Faroese, Icelandic harður (“hard”), Norwegian Bokmål hard (“hard”), Norwegian Nynorsk hard, hard’u (“hard”), Gothic 𐌷𐌰𐍂𐌳𐌿𐍃 (hardus, “hard”), Ancient Greek κρατύς (kratús, “strong, mighty”), Sanskrit क्रतु (krátu, “power, might, ability”), Avestan 𐬑𐬭𐬀𐬙𐬎 (xratu).

Synonyms

adamantineconcretefirmgraniticgrimhardinflexiblelithicresistantrigidrobustsolidstiffstoutsturdystonytoughunbendingunyielding

Antonyms

cushionyflexiblesoftspongymoldabletenderyielding

This word in other languages

duro(Español)dur(Français)hart(Deutsch)duro(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ahrd
  • hadr
  • hardd
  • harrd
  • hhard
  • hrad

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of hard - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

ahrd2hadr2hardd1harrd1hhard1hrad2
Edit distance from "hard"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 2, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "hard"?
"hard" is spelled H-A-R-D. The IPA pronunciation is /hɑːd/.
What does "hard" mean?
As an adjective, "hard" means: Solid and firm.
What words are commonly confused with "hard"?
"hard" is commonly confused with "HD", "HR", "has". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "hard"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "hard" is /hɑːd/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "hard"?
From Middle English hard, from Old English heard, from Proto-West Germanic *hard(ī), from Proto-Germanic *harduz, from Proto-Indo-European *kort-ús, from *kret- (“strong, powerful”). Cognates Cognate with Yola hard (“hard”), West Frisian hurd (“ha... See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "hard", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

four#272mean#274once#275tell#277

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).

told6 variantsstop6 variantssmall6 variantswent6 variants
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list