harden
hard·en/ˈhɑɹdn̩/verb, noun
harden is spelled H-A-R-D-E-N: 6 letters and 2 syllables (hard·en). It appears 3.3 times per million words in written English, the 14,509th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, harden means “To become hard” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in harden?
| Letters | 6: H-A-R-D-E-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: hard·en |
| In writing | 3.3 times per million words; the 14,509th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with | |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is harden?
Harden appears 3.3 times per million words in written English, the 14,509th 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 harden?
- US /ˈhɑɹdn̩/
- UK /ˈhɑːdn̩/
Harden has 2 syllables, split hard·en in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-harden.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with harden?
2 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as harden from its last stressed vowel (/ɑɹdn/):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: hander.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of harden
- hardens present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- hardening participle, present
- hardened participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does harden mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To become hard.
- 2
To make something hard or harder.
- 3
To strengthen.
- 4
To modify (a website or other system) to make it resistant to malicious attacks.
- 5
To become or make (a person or thing) resistant or less sensitive.
(obs.)
- 6
informalTo get an erection.
- 7
To become or make (a consonant) more fortis; to (cause to) undergo fortition.
- 8
To unpalatalize or velarize.
noun
- 1
Alternative form of hurden (“coarse linen”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Harden in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | durcir , endurcir |
| German | härten |
| Portuguese | endurecer |
| Spanish | endurecer, indurarse , indurar |
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.