Word Confusion: Hardy versus Hearty

Posted July 3, 2013 by Kathy Davie in Author Resources, Self-Editing, Word Confusions, Writing

Revised as of
6 July 2023

This word confusion hardy vs hearty frequently occurs when a writer is writing about a character with a hardy laugh. Um, no. Laughter may be the best medicine, but it isn’t enough to permit that same laugh to be healthy or fit.

Perhaps that’s the key to remembering a hearty laugh . . . heart for fitness and health, and of course one needs that y on the end, therefore it is a heart-y, healthy laugh . . .

Word Confusions . . .

. . . started as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with properly spelled words that were out of context in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us words that have been a bête noire for you from either end.

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Hardy	Hearty
Rustic Tractor is in the public domain, via Pxfuel. — It looks to be a hardy tractor.	Bob Bauer by Pete Souza is in the public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. — Do you have a hearty laugh?
Part of Grammar:
Adjective	Adjective; Noun Plural for noun: hearties
Robust Capable of enduring difficult conditions [Of a plant] Able to survive outside during winter [Dated] Stalwart	Adjective: [Informal] Full of vim [Of a person or their behavior] Loudly vigorous and cheerful [Of a feeling or an opinion] Heartfelt [Of a person] Strong and healthy [Of food] Wholesome and substantial [Of a person’s appetite] Robust and healthy Noun: [British; informal] A vigorously cheerful and sporty person. [British; informal; usually me hearties] A form of address ascribed to sailors
Examples:
He’s quite the hardy man. Trees along the Pacific coast of California have to be hardy to survive the wind. Rugosa roses are hardy.	Adjective: He was a hearty and boisterous character He sang in a hearty baritone. She had a hearty dislike for Tom. Hearty congratulations were in order. He’s a white-bearded but hearty man. After that long trek, a hearty meal cooked over open flames was very welcome. Jim goes for a long walk to work up a hearty appetite for dinner. King Henry VII was considered a hearty king. She has a hearty laugh. He is hale and hearty, considering his sickly childhood. The condemned ate a hearty meal. Noun: Avast, me hearties. There’s my hearty.
NOTE: Be aware that hardy and hearty are interchangeable only in terms of fitness and health.
Derivatives:
Adjective: hardier, hardiest Adverb: hardily	Adjective: heartier, heartiest, overhearty, quasi-hearty Noun: heartiness, overheartiness, superheartiness
History of the Word:
Its first known use was in the 13th century. Middle English in the sense of bold, daring is from the Old French hardi, past participle of hardir meaning become bold, which is of Germanic origin and related to hard. It’s similar to Old English heard and hard.	1350-1400, Middle English herti meaning courageous, spirited, zealous, loyal, faithful, sagacious, and/or wise.

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C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan . . . which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them . . . and we’ll all benefit!

Satisfy your curiosity about other Word Confusions on its homepage or more generally explore the index of self-editing posts. You may also want to explore Book Layout & Formatting Ideas, Formatting Tips, Grammar Explanations, Linguistics, Publishing Tips, the Properly Punctuated, Writing Ideas and Resources, and Working Your Website.

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