Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

hearken back

/ˌhɑɹkən ˈbæk/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.29 in modern English

Syllables: heark-en back
IPA: /ˌhɑɹkən ˈbæk/

26

Scrabble Score

11

Letters

2

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

Synonym of hark back (“to allude, return, or revert (to a subject previously mentioned, etc.); also, to evoke, or long or pine for (a past era or event)”).

Example Sentences

"From the opening shots of the anonymous young Winterfell boy rushing to catch a glimpse of Jon Snow and Queen Daenerys Targaryen, hearkening back to those moments of the very first episode in which Arya rushed to do the same with an approaching King Robert Baratheon, the series is calling back to its beginning, suggesting (at least for now) that the wheel continues to turn, sending us back into a pattern begun seven seasons prior."

Etymology

From hearken + back, possibly an erroneous substitution of hearken (“to hear (something) with attention; to have regard to (something); to listen; to attend or give heed to what is uttered; to hear with attention, compliance, or obedience”) for hark: see the usage note.

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˌhɑɹkən ˈbæk/
British English: /ˌhɑːk(ə)n ˈbæk/

Inflected Forms

hearkens back (present, singular) hearkening back (participle, present) hearkened back (participle, past) hearkened back (past) harken back (alternative)

Synonyms

hark back

Questions

How do you pronounce hearken back?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˌhɑɹkən ˈbæk/.
What does hearken back mean?: Synonym of hark back (“to allude, return, or revert (to a subject previously mentioned, etc.); also, to evoke, or long or pine for (a past era or event)”).
Where does hearken back come from?: From hearken + back, possibly an erroneous substitution of hearken (“to hear (something) with attention; to have regard to (something); to listen; to attend or give heed to what is uttered; to hear with attention, compliance, or obedience”) for hark: see the usage note.

How to pronounce hearken back

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