# hearken

> English word · Verb · IPA /ˈhɑːk(ə)n/ · frequency rank #67,499

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

## 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.

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