hearken

/ˈhɑːk(ə)n/

//ˈhɑːk(ə)n// verb

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

"hearken" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“hearken” is uncommon English (frequency #67,499 among 2,646 “H” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#67,499
frequency rank, English
2,646
“H” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To hear (something) with attention; to have regard to (something).

Corpus desk

Index EN-hearken · hearken · English

hearken · rank #67,499 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #67,499
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,646
  • PHOTO-FINISH hawn

Nearest frequency peer: hawn (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “hearken”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “hearken” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for hearken
PropertyValue
Headwordhearken
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈhɑːk(ə)n/
Letters7
Frequency rank#67,499
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “hearken” in English

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).hearkenfalls in this rarity band:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “hawn” (#67,498), “Hegarty” (#67,500), “haploid” (#67,496). Among 2,646 “H” headwords, “hearken” is #67,499. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

hearken is uncommon English at frequency #67,499 among 2,646 “H” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /ˈhɑːk(ə)n/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for hearken, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English herkenen (“to listen (attentively); to pay attention, take heed”) [and other forms], from Old English hercnian, heorcnian, hyrcnian, from *heorcian (“to hark”) infixed with -n-, from Proto-West Germanic *hauʀijan, from Proto-Germanic *ha… The correct English form is hearken, spelled H-E-A-R-K-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    To hear (something) with attention; to have regard to (something).
  2. 2
    To listen; to attend or give heed to what is uttered; to hear with attention, compliance, or obedience.
  3. 3
    To enquire; to seek information.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Thenceforth ſhe paſt into his dreadfull den, / VVhere nought but darkeſome drerineſſe ſhe found, / Ne creature ſaw, but hearkned now and then / Some little whiſpering, and ſoft groaning ſound.
  2. This King of Naples being an Enemy / To me inueterate, hearkens my Brothers ſuit, / Which was, That he in lieu o' th' premiſes, / Of homage, and I know not how much Tribute, / Should preſently extirpate me and mine / Out of the Dukedome, and confer faire Milane / With all the Honors, on my brother: […]

Etymology

From Middle English herkenen (“to listen (attentively); to pay attention, take heed”) [and other forms], from Old English hercnian, heorcnian, hyrcnian, from *heorcian (“to hark”) infixed with -n-, from Proto-West Germanic *hauʀijan, from Proto-Germanic *hauzijaną (“to hear”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ḱh₂owsyéti (“to be sharp-eared, hear well”), from *h₂eḱ- (“sharp”) + *h₂ṓws (“ear”) + *-yéti (denominative suffix), thus equivalent to hark + -en. The spelling of the English word was probably influenced by hear; a similarly analogical pronunciation existed in Early Modern English.

This word in other languages

horchen(Deutsch)

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 "hearken"?
"hearken" is spelled H-E-A-R-K-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈhɑːk(ə)n/.
What does "hearken" mean?
As a verb, "hearken" means: To hear (something) with attention; to have regard to (something).
How do you pronounce "hearken"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "hearken" is /ˈhɑːk(ə)n/. 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 "hearken"?
From Middle English herkenen (“to listen (attentively); to pay attention, take heed”) [and other forms], from Old English hercnian, heorcnian, hyrcnian, from *heorcian (“to hark”) infixed with -n-, from Proto-West Germanic *hauʀijan, from Proto-Ge... 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 "hearken", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Hegarty#67,500haploid#67,496hoodlum#67,510Frisian#67,463

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list