hearten

/ˈhɑːtn̩/

//ˈhɑːtn̩// verb

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

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

The verdict

“hearten” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
7
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To give heart to; to encourage, urge on, cheer, give confidence to.

Key facts for hearten
PropertyValue
Headwordhearten
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈhɑːtn̩/
Letters7
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “hearten” sits in English frequency

hearten falls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

hearten is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as averb, transcribed /ˈhɑːtn̩/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "To give heart to; to encourage, urge on, cheer, give confidence to.".

hearten has no tracked misspelling variants, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: From heart + -en. The correct English form is hearten, spelled H-E-A-R-T-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    To give heart to; to encourage, urge on, cheer, give confidence to.

Etymology

From heart + -en.

This word in other languages

alentar(Español)encourager(Français)ermutigen(Deutsch)animar(Português)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "hearten"?
"hearten" is spelled H-E-A-R-T-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈhɑːtn̩/.
What does "hearten" mean?
As a verb, "hearten" means: To give heart to; to encourage, urge on, cheer, give confidence to.
How do you pronounce "hearten"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "hearten" is /ˈhɑːtn̩/. 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 "hearten"?
From heart + -en. 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.

Using “hearten”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is H-E-A-R-T-E-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈhɑːtn̩/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list