hardheaded
adjective
hardheaded is spelled H-A-R-D-H-E-A-D-E-D: 10 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 10 million words in written English, the 94,827th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, hardheaded means “Stubborn; wilful” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in hardheaded?
| Letters | 10: H-A-R-D-H-E-A-D-E-D |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 10 million words; the 94,827th 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 hardheaded?
Hardheaded appears about once in every 10 million words in written English, the 94,827th 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 hardheaded?
Hardheaded has 3 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: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-hardheaded.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with hardheaded
Also written: hard-headed (one word or two).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of hardheaded
- more hardheaded comparative
- harderheaded comparative
- most hardheaded superlative
- hardestheaded superlative
- hard-headed
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does hardheaded mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Stubborn; wilful.
- 2
Realistic; pragmatic.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Hardheaded in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | têtu |
| Portuguese | cabeçudo |
| Spanish | terco, cabezadura, porfiado , pragmático |
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 hardheaded come from?
From hard + headed. First appears c. mid-15th century in the writings of Osbern Bokenam.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).