# harm

> English word · Noun · IPA /hɑːm/ · frequency rank #3,169

## Definitions
1. Physical injury; hurt; damage.
2. Emotional or figurative hurt.
3. Detriment; misfortune.
4. That which causes injury, damage, or loss.

## Etymology
From Middle English harm, herm, from Old English hearm, from Proto-West Germanic *harm, from Proto-Germanic *harmaz (“harm; shame; pain”). Cognate with Dutch harm (“harm”), German Harm (“harm”), Danish harme (“indignation, resentment”), Icelandic harmur (“sorrow, grief”), Swedish harm (“anger, indignation, harm”).

## Easily confused with
- **HR** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/harm-vs-hr)
- **hm** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/harm-vs-hm)
- **has** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/harm-vs-has)
- **her** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/harm-vs-her)
- **him** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/harm-vs-him)
- **hat** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/harm-vs-hat)
- **hmm** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/harm-vs-hmm)
- **hay** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/harm-vs-hay)
- **hum** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/harm-vs-hum)
- **hem** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/harm-vs-hem)
- **haw** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/harm-vs-haw)
- **HRC** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/harm-vs-hrc)
- **HDR** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/harm-vs-hdr)
- **Hur** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/harm-vs-hur)
- **hav** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/harm-vs-hav)
- **Hom** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/harm-vs-hom)
- **HRT** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/harm-vs-hrt)
- **hrm** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/harm-vs-hrm)
- **hor** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/harm-vs-hor)
- **HRW** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/harm-vs-hrw)

## Common misspellings (6)
`ahrm`, `hamr`, `harmm`, `harrm`, `hharm`, `hram`

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