Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

hardwood

/ˈhɑɹdˌwʊd/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 3.34 in modern English

Syllables: hard-wood
IPA: /ˈhɑɹdˌwʊd/

16

Scrabble Score

8

Letters

2

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

The wood from any dicotyledonous tree, without regard to its hardness.

Countable

noun

(in more general use) As the preceding, but limited to those that are commercial timbers, and are at least average in hardness.

Countable

noun

The tree or tree species that yields the preceding.

Countable

noun

A joint term for the commercial timbers, without distinguishing which.

Uncountable

noun

The sport of basketball, in particular, an indoor basketball court; so named because the floor of an indoor basketball court is normally made of hardwood.

Countable; Slang; Uncountable

adj

Made of interlocking hardwood boards.

Example Sentences

"Balsa is a hardwood, but a soft hardwood."
"Ash, hickory and oak are some of the most prominent domestic hardwoods."
"Mr. Cooke had had a sloop yacht built at Far Harbor, the completion of which had been delayed, and which was but just delivered. […] The Maria had a cabin, which was finished in hard wood and yellow plush, and accommodations for keeping things cold."
"This hardwood has been planted extensively throughout the hills here."
"You should have used hardwood for this window sill instead of this junk."

Etymology

From hard + wood. The term refers to the seed coat of the tree's seeds; it does not refer to the degree of hardness of the tree's wood, but it seems to do so and is usually assumed to do so by speakers not well informed about trees and timber.

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈhɑɹdˌwʊd/

Usage

Inflected Forms

hardwoods (plural)

Frequently Paired Words

softwood

Questions

How do you pronounce hardwood?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈhɑɹdˌwʊd/.
What does hardwood mean?: The wood from any dicotyledonous tree, without regard to its hardness.
Where does hardwood come from?: From hard + wood. The term refers to the seed coat of the tree's seeds; it does not refer to the degree of hardness of the tree's wood, but it seems to do so and is usually assumed to do so by speakers not well informed about trees and timber.

How to pronounce hardwood

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “hardwood”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈhɑɹdˌwʊd/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
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