hither
hi·ther/ˈhɪðɚ/adverb, verb
hither is spelled H-I-T-H-E-R: 6 letters and 2 syllables (hi·ther). It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 37,459th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adverb, hither means “over here” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in hither?
| Letters | 6: H-I-T-H-E-R |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: hi·ther |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 37,459th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is hither?
Hither appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 37,459th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce hither?
- UK /ˈhɪðə/
- US /ˈhɪðɚ/
Hither has 2 syllables, split hi·ther in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-hither.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with hither?
4 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as hither from its last stressed vowel (/ɪðəɹ/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of hither
- hithers present, singular, he/she/it
- hithering participle, present
- hithered participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does hither mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adverb
- 1
archaicTo this place, to here.
He went hither and thither.
- 2
over here
verb
- 1
only used in the phrase hither and thither
adjective
- 1
archaicOn this side; the nearer.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Hither in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | ici, çà |
| German | her, hierher, hierhin |
| Portuguese | acá, para cá |
| Spanish | para aquí/acá/aquende , citerior |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does hither come from?
From Old English hider, from Proto-Germanic *hidrê. Cognate with Latin citer.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).