hie

/haɪ/

//haɪ// verb

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

"hie" is a 3-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“hie” is uncommon English (frequency #52,994 among 23,837 “H” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#52,994
frequency rank, English
23,837
“H” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To hasten; to go quickly, to hurry.

Key facts for hie
PropertyValue
Headwordhie
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/haɪ/
Letters3
Frequency rank#52,994
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “hie” 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). hie lands here:

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

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

Rare enough to double-check

hie is uncommon English at frequency #52,994 among 23,837 “H” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /haɪ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for hie, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English hien, hyen, highen, heiȝen, hiȝen, from Old English hīgian (“to hie, hasten, strive”), from Proto-West Germanic *hīgōn, from Proto-Germanic *hīgōną (“to breathe, snort”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱēygʰ- (“swift, fierce, violent”). Cogna… The correct English form is hie, spelled H-I-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To hasten; to go quickly, to hurry.
  2. 2
    To hurry (oneself).
  3. 3
    To urge (a horse) to the left with a cry of "hie".

Etymology

From Middle English hien, hyen, highen, heiȝen, hiȝen, from Old English hīgian (“to hie, hasten, strive”), from Proto-West Germanic *hīgōn, from Proto-Germanic *hīgōną (“to breathe, snort”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱēygʰ- (“swift, fierce, violent”). Cognate with Dutch hijgen (“to pant”), German heichen (“to choke, gasp for breath”), Danish hige (“to aspire, long”), Latin cieō (“set in motion, invoke, provoke”), Ancient Greek κινέω (kinéō, “move, set in motion”).

This word in other languages

apresurarse(Español)se hâter(Français)eilen(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 "hie"?
"hie" is spelled H-I-E. The IPA pronunciation is /haɪ/.
What does "hie" mean?
As a verb, "hie" means: To hasten; to go quickly, to hurry.
How do you pronounce "hie"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "hie" is /haɪ/. 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 "hie"?
From Middle English hien, hyen, highen, heiȝen, hiȝen, from Old English hīgian (“to hie, hasten, strive”), from Proto-West Germanic *hīgōn, from Proto-Germanic *hīgōną (“to breathe, snort”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱēygʰ- (“swift, fierce, violen... 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 “hie”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is H-I-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /haɪ/ (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

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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