Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

harden

/ˈhɑɹdn̩/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 3.52 in modern English

Syllables
hard-en
IPA
/ˈhɑɹdn̩/
10
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
2
Syllables
6
Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To become hard.

Intransitive verb

verb

To make something hard or harder.

Transitive verb

verb

To strengthen.

Transitive verb

verb

To modify (a website or other system) to make it resistant to malicious attacks.

Transitive verb

verb

To become or make (a person or thing) resistant or less sensitive.

verb

To get an erection.

Informal; Intransitive verb

verb

To become or make (a consonant) more fortis; to (cause to) undergo fortition.

verb

To unpalatalize or velarize.

Example Sentences

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *kret-der.? Proto-Germanic *harduz Proto-Indo-European *-yeti Proto-Indo-European *-éyeti Proto-Germanic *-janą Proto-Germanic *hardijaną Proto-West Germanic *hardijan Old English hierdan ▲ Proto-Germanic *harduz Proto-Indo-European *-yos Proto-Indo-European *-yós Proto-Germanic *-jaz Proto-West Germanic *-ī Proto-West Germanic *hard(ī) Proto-Germanic *-āną Proto-West Germanic *-ēn Proto-West Germanic *hardēn Old English heardian Middle English harden Proto-Indo-European *-o- Proto-Indo-European *-nom Proto-Indo-European *-onom Proto-Germanic *-aną ▲ Proto-Germanic *-janą Old English -an Middle English -en Middle English hardenen English harden From Middle English hardenen, equivalent to hard + -en. Cognate with Danish hærdne (“to harden; cure”), Swedish hårdna (“to harden”), Norwegian herdne (“to harden”), Icelandic harðna (“to harden”).

Origin

Word Breakdown

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈhɑɹdn̩/
  • British English: /ˈhɑːdn̩/

Usage

Inflected Forms

Derived Forms

Phrases

Frequently Paired Words

Synonyms

Antonyms

Rhymes With

Questions

How do you pronounce harden?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈhɑɹdn̩/.
What does harden mean?
To become hard.
Where does harden come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce harden

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “harden”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈhɑɹdn̩/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “harden”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “harden” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.