hear

/ˈhɪə/

//ˈhɪə// verb

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

"hear" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“hear” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #588) as a verb. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#588
frequency rank, English
23,837
“H” headwords
4
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To perceive sounds through the ear.

Corpus desk

Index EN-hear · hear · English

hear · rank #588 · 4 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-CORE #588
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-LOW 4 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 23,837
  • PHOTO-FINISH force

Nearest frequency peer: force (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “hear”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “hear” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of May 6, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

hear vs HR
0% similar
hear vs her
75% similar
hear vs hey
50% similar

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

Key facts for hear
PropertyValue
Headwordhear
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈhɪə/
Letters4
Frequency rank#588
Misspellings tracked4
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “hear” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). hear lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for hear is neighbouring look-alikes ("HR", "her", …), not just typos; it is averb pronounced /ˈhɪə/. Frequency #588 among 23,837 “H” headwords. 9 recorded senses keep meaning in play.

Our generated misspelling index lists 4 likely wrong-spelling variants for hear, with forms such as "ehar", "haer", and "hearr". 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, "HR", "her", "hey", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱ- Proto-Indo-European *h₂ew- Proto-Indo-European *-s Proto-Indo-European *h₂ṓws Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *h₂ḱh₂owsyéti Proto-Germanic *hauzijaną Proto-West Germanic *hauʀijan Old English hīeran M… The correct English form is hear, spelled H-E-A-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    To perceive sounds through the ear.
  2. 2
    To perceive (a sound, or something producing a sound) with the ear, to recognize (something) in an auditory way.
  3. 3
    To exercise this faculty intentionally; to listen to.
  4. 4
    To listen favourably to; to grant (a request etc.).
  5. 5
    To receive information about; to come to learn of.
  6. 6
    To be contacted by.
  7. 7
    To listen to (a person, case) in a court of law; to try.
  8. 8
    To sympathize with; to understand the feelings or opinion of.
  9. 9
    To study under.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. I was deaf, but now I can hear.
  2. I could hear them quarreling upstairs, but didn’t really listen to their argument.

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱ- Proto-Indo-European *h₂ew- Proto-Indo-European *-s Proto-Indo-European *h₂ṓws Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *h₂ḱh₂owsyéti Proto-Germanic *hauzijaną Proto-West Germanic *hauʀijan Old English hīeran Middle English heren English hear From Middle English heren, from Old English hīeran (“to hear”), from Proto-West Germanic *hauʀijan, from Proto-Germanic *hauzijaną (“to hear”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ḱh₂owsyéti (“to be sharp-eared”), from *h₂eḱ- (“sharp”) + *h₂ows- (“ear”) + *-yéti (denominative suffix). Cognates Cognate with Saterland Frisian heere (“to hear”), West Frisian hearre (“to hear”), Dutch horen (“to hear”), German hören (“to hear”), Danish and Norwegian Bokmål høre (“to hear”), Norwegian Nynorsk høyra (“to hear”), Swedish höra (“to hear”), Icelandic heyra (“to hear”), Ancient Greek ἀκούω (akoúō, “I hear”).

Synonyms

hear

Antonyms

mishearcock a deaf 'unturn a deaf ear

This word in other languages

oír(Español)entendre(Français)hören(Deutsch)ouvir(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ehar
  • haer
  • hearr
  • hhear

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ehar2haer2hearr1hhear1
Edit distance from "hear"

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of May 6, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "hear"?
"hear" is spelled H-E-A-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈhɪə/.
What does "hear" mean?
As a verb, "hear" means: To perceive sounds through the ear.
What words are commonly confused with "hear"?
"hear" is commonly confused with "HR", "her", "hey". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "hear"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "hear" is /ˈhɪə/. 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 "hear"?
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱ- Proto-Indo-European *h₂ew- Proto-Indo-European *-s Proto-Indo-European *h₂ṓws Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *h₂ḱh₂owsyéti Proto-Germanic *hauzijaną Proto-West Germanic *hauʀijan Old Englis... 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 "hear", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

fine#586rest#594town#580road#577
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list