# hard

> English word · Adjective · IPA /hɑːd/ · frequency rank #273

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

## 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).

## Easily confused with
- **HD** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hard-vs-hd)
- **HR** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hard-vs-hr)
- **has** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hard-vs-has)
- **her** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hard-vs-her)
- **hat** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hard-vs-hat)
- **hay** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hard-vs-hay)
- **hid** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hard-vs-hid)
- **HUD** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hard-vs-hud)
- **haw** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hard-vs-haw)
- **HRC** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hard-vs-hrc)
- **HDD** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hard-vs-hdd)
- **HDR** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hard-vs-hdr)
- **Hur** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hard-vs-hur)
- **hav** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hard-vs-hav)
- **HRT** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hard-vs-hrt)
- **hed** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hard-vs-hed)
- **hrm** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hard-vs-hrm)
- **hor** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hard-vs-hor)
- **hod** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hard-vs-hod)
- **HRW** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hard-vs-hrw)

## Common misspellings (6)
`ahrd`, `hadr`, `hardd`, `harrd`, `hhard`, `hrad`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/hard