harden

/ˈhɑɹdn̩/

//ˈhɑɹdn̩// verb

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

"harden" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“harden” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #14,554. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#14,554
frequency rank, English
2,646
“H” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To become hard.

Corpus desk

Index EN-harden · harden · English

harden · rank #14,554 · 9 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #14,554
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,646
  • PHOTO-FINISH halted

Nearest frequency peer: halted (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “harden”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “harden” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

harden vs hare
67% similar
harden vs haven
67% similar
harden vs hardy
67% similar

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

Key facts for harden
PropertyValue
Headwordharden
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈhɑɹdn̩/
Letters6
Frequency rank#14,554
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “harden”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).hardenlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “halted” (#14,553), “hardened” (#14,555), “grouped” (#14,552). Among 2,646 “H” headwords, “harden” is #14,554. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around harden (IPA /ˈhɑɹdn̩/), averb. Corpus frequency is #14,554 among 2,646 “H” headwords. Wiktionary lists 8 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for harden, with forms such as "ahrden", "hadren", and "hardden". 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, "hare", "haven", "hardy", 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 hardenen, equivalent to hard + -en. Cognate with Danish hærdne (“to harden; cure”), Swedish hårdna (“to harden”), Norwegian herdne (“to harden”), Icelandic harðna (“to harden”). The correct English form is harden, spelled H-A-R-D-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    To become hard.
  2. 2
    To make something hard or harder.
  3. 3
    To strengthen.
  4. 4
    To modify (a website or other system) to make it resistant to malicious attacks.
  5. 5
    To become or make (a person or thing) resistant or less sensitive.
  6. 6
    To get an erection.
  7. 7
    To become or make (a consonant) more fortis; to (cause to) undergo fortition.
  8. 8
    To unpalatalize or velarize.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The Chief Medical Officer of London Transport believes that public opinion against smoking will harden to the point of a total bar on the Underground, as in other countries.
  2. In view of the system's relatively low cost, the preferred alternative could be for the military user to avail himself of multiple base stations rather than seeking to harden the base station hardware for defense applications.

Etymology

From Middle English hardenen, equivalent to hard + -en. Cognate with Danish hærdne (“to harden; cure”), Swedish hårdna (“to harden”), Norwegian herdne (“to harden”), Icelandic harðna (“to harden”).

Synonyms

annealhardenindurateobduratesclerotisesolidifysteelstiffentemper

Antonyms

soften

This word in other languages

endurecer(Español)durcir(Français)härten(Deutsch)endurecer(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ahrden
  • hadren
  • hardden
  • hardenn
  • hardne
  • haredn
  • harrden
  • hharden
  • hraden

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of harden - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

ahrden2hadren2hardden1hardenn1hardne2haredn2harrden1hharden1
Edit distance from "harden"

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.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "harden"?
"harden" is spelled H-A-R-D-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈhɑɹdn̩/.
What does "harden" mean?
As a verb, "harden" means: To become hard.
What words are commonly confused with "harden"?
"harden" is commonly confused with "hare", "haven", "hardy". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "harden"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "harden" is /ˈhɑɹdn̩/. 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 "harden"?
From Middle English hardenen, equivalent to hard + -en. Cognate with Danish hærdne (“to harden; cure”), Swedish hårdna (“to harden”), Norwegian herdne (“to harden”), Icelandic harðna (“to harden”). 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 "harden", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

halted#14,553Gotham#14,550Gareth#14,549Horace#14,561

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

fluent9 variantsmounts9 variantsNiagara9 variantsNordic9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list