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hard

/hɑɹd/
adjectiveadverbnoun

HARD meaning: a common four-letter word for something solid or firm; it scores 8 points in Scrabble.

NWL Collins ENABLE

Adjective 4 meanings

  1. Solid and firm.

  2. Having a severe property; presenting difficulty.

    “a hard problem; a hard question; a hard topic”

  3. Unquestionable; unequivocal.

    “hard evidence; a hard requirement”

  4. Having a comparatively larger or a ninety-degree angle.

    “At the intersection, there are two roads going to the left. Take the hard left.”

Adverb 3 meanings

  1. With much force or effort.

    “He hit the puck hard up the ice.”

  2. With difficulty.

    “His degree was hard earned.”

  3. Compactly.

    “The lake had finally frozen hard.”

Noun 2 meanings

  1. A firm or paved beach or slope convenient for hauling vessels out of the water.

  2. A tyre whose compound is softer than superhards, and harder than mediums.

Definitions: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA) via Kaikki/Wiktextract

Where it comes from

Etymology

From Middle English hard, from Old English heard, from Proto-West Germanic *hard(ī), from Proto-Germanic *harduz, from Proto-Indo-European *kort-ús, from *kret- (“strong, powerful”).

Similar and opposite words

Similar
resistantsolidstonystrongconfusingdifficultpuzzlingtough
Opposite
softeasysimplestraightforwardtritebearable

Hard commonly describes something solid and firm, and it also has narrower technical senses. As a noun, it can mean a firm or paved beach or slope where vessels can be hauled out; in motorsport, it names a tyre compound softer than superhards and harder than mediums. Those specialized definitions do not cover every everyday use of the word.

HARD meaning at a glance

  • HARD scores 8 Scrabble points: H is worth 4, A and R 1 each, and D 2.
  • The letters sort to ADHR, and HARD has no anagrams.
  • There are 23 one-letter neighbors, including HAND, CARD, and YARD.
  • The 12 rhymes include HEARD, BOARD, CARD, and REWARD.

What does hard mean?

In its familiar adjective sense, hard describes something solid and firm. The word also has a specialized noun sense: a firm or paved beach or slope that offers a place to haul vessels out of the water.

A separate technical use describes a tyre compound. A hard tyre is softer than a superhard compound but harder than a medium one. That comparison is specific to tyre terminology, so it should not be mistaken for the everyday meaning.

What is HARD worth in Scrabble?

HARD is worth 8 points before any board premium. H supplies half that total with its 4-point value; A and R add 1 point apiece, and D adds 2. For a player checking HARD meaning and score together, the rack-level total is the reliable starting point.

The letter-change neighbors give you more familiar options to notice: HAND, CARD, and YARD each differ from HARD by one letter. The full group also includes less familiar forms, so do not treat every neighbor as an everyday alternative. For sound, the shared ending in the 12 rhymes connects HARD with HEARD, BOARD, and AWARD.

Rhymes with hard

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Questions people ask

What does hard mean?
Hard commonly means solid or firm. The word also has a specialized noun sense for a firm or paved beach or slope used to haul vessels from the water, plus a tyre term for a compound between superhard and medium.
How many Scrabble points is HARD worth?
HARD is worth 8 points before board premiums. Its H is worth 4, A and R are worth 1 each, and D is worth 2. A premium square can change the turn’s total, but not the base value of the tiles.
Does HARD have any anagrams?
No anagrams are recorded for HARD. Its letters sort to ADHR, but rearranging those four tiles does not produce another word in the supported word lists. HAND, CARD, and YARD are one-letter neighbors, not anagrams.

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