hardback
/ˈhɑɹdˌbæk/noun, adjective
hardback is spelled H-A-R-D-B-A-C-K: 8 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 36,998th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, hardback means “A book with a solid binding” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of hardback is hardbacks.
How many letters and syllables are in hardback?
| Letters | 8: H-A-R-D-B-A-C-K |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 36,998th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is hardback?
Hardback appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 36,998th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce hardback?
- US /ˈhɑɹdˌbæk/
Hardback has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-hardback.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of hardback
- hardbacks plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does hardback mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A book with a solid binding.
adjective
- 1
Having a solid binding.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate hardback?
Wiktionary records 2 abbreviations of hardback: hbk, hdbk.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Hardback in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | livre relié , relié |
| Portuguese | livro de capa dura |
| Spanish | tapa dura, cartoné , de / tipo / con cartoné |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does hardback come from?
From hard + back, formed in analogy to earlier paperback.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).