hork
/ˈhɔː(ɹ)k/
"hork" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“hork” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as a verb - the kind of word writers most often double-check.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 4
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To foul up; to be occupied with difficulty, tangle, or unpleasantness; to be broken.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | hork |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /ˈhɔː(ɹ)k/ |
| Letters | 4 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “hork” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for hork is 4 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈhɔː(ɹ)k/. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. Wiktionary records 8 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
hork has no tracked misspelling variants, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.
Etymologically, the entry records: Onomatopoeia or imitative. For “cough up” sense, compare hawk/hock (16th century), which are almost homophonous in non-rhotic accents. For “throw” sense, compare huck. The “foul up” sense is presumably influenced by bork (late 1990s), from broken. The “stea… The correct English form is hork, spelled H-O-R-K.
Definition
- 1To foul up; to be occupied with difficulty, tangle, or unpleasantness; to be broken.
- 2To steal, especially petty theft or misnomer in jest.
- 3To vomit, cough up.
- 4To gulp
- 5To gulp Don't just hork it down!
- 6To throw.
- 7To eat hastily or greedily; to gobble.
- 8To move.
Etymology
Onomatopoeia or imitative. For “cough up” sense, compare hawk/hock (16th century), which are almost homophonous in non-rhotic accents. For “throw” sense, compare huck. The “foul up” sense is presumably influenced by bork (late 1990s), from broken. The “steal” sense may be related to hook, which has the same slang meaning.
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
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Using “hork”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is H-O-R-K - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈhɔː(ɹ)k/ (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.