hitherto
hi·ther·to/ˌhɪðəˈtuː/adverb
hitherto is spelled H-I-T-H-E-R-T-O: 8 letters and 3 syllables (hi·ther·to). It appears 1.4 times per million words in written English, the 23,835th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adverb, hitherto means “Up to this or that time” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in hitherto?
| Letters | 8: H-I-T-H-E-R-T-O |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3: hi·ther·to |
| In writing | 1.4 times per million words; the 23,835th 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 hitherto?
Hitherto appears 1.4 times per million words in written English, the 23,835th 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 hitherto?
- UK /ˌhɪðəˈtuː/
- UK /ˈhɪðətuː/
- UK [ˌhɪðəˈtʰuː]
Hitherto has 3 syllables, split hi·ther·to in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-hitherto.ogg, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Naomi_Persephone_Amethyst_(NaomiAmethyst)-hitherto.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with hitherto?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as hitherto from its last stressed vowel (/u/, British pronunciation):
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).
What does hitherto mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adverb
- 1
Up to this or that time.
- 2
archaicUp to this place.
- 3
archaicIn speech or writing: up to this point; thus far.
- 4
obsoleteSynonym of hereto (“regarding this subject; to achieve this result; to this end”).
adjective
- 1
archaicExisting or occurring before now; former, preceding, previous.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Hitherto in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense up to this or that time:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | jusqu'alors, jusqu'à maintenant, jusqu'à présent, jusqu'ici |
| German | bis dahin, bis dato, bisher, bis jetzt, bislang, bis zu diesem Zeitpunkt |
| Portuguese | até agora |
| Spanish | en ese entonces, hasta ahora, hasta aquí, hasta este momento |
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 hitherto come from?
The adverb is derived from Middle English hiderto (“to the present time, until now; up to this point”), from hider (“in this direction, to or toward this place; up to the present time, until now”) (from Old English hider (“to here, hither”)) + to (“in the direction of, toward; etc.”). By surface analysis, hither + to. The adjective is derived from the adverb.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).