So today I found myself agreeing with someone online and went to type “hear hear” but then remembered seeing someone else type “here here” a couple days earlier.
I was pretty sure the correct phrase was “hear hear” as opposed to the other variants I'd seen (“here here”, “hear here”, “here hear”) but I'd never actually looked it up. So I decided to check popular internet usage using Google:
- “hear hear” = 1,740,000 hits
- “here here” = 3,880,000 hits
- “hear here” = 307,000 hits
- “here hear” = 334,000 hits
Well dang. According to popular usage twice as many people say “here here” than say “hear hear”. But is that correct? Wikipedia says no:
Hear hear (Wikipedia):
…Hear, hear is an expression used as a short repeated form of hear ye and hear him. It represents a listener's agreement with the point being made by a speaker.It was originally an imperative for directing attention to speakers, and has since been used, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, as “the regular form of cheering in the House of Commons”, with many purposes depending on the intonation of its user. It is often incorrectly spelled “here here”, especially on websites…
A quick double check of OneLook Dictionary Search confirms this. Six dictionaries list “hear hear” and only one lists “here here” (and that one happens to be the wiki article above.)
Popular usage drives the movement of meaning, though, so at some point in the future “here here” may end up being the correct phrase if we don't do something about it.
So if you want to avoid yet another English colloquialism that will have your great grandchildren scratching their heads and saying “WTF?” (or whatever kids will be saying in those days) then type “hear hear” at every opportunity.
Go on, say it, you know you want to. 
Apparently, “hear hear” already has people scratching their heads. Since it's not an improvement over “I agree,” so I see no point in preserving it!
I used to always think it was here-here, calling someone’s attention to “listen here.” But some months ago I discovered I was using the incorrect spelling.
But you know what, I think I’ll start saying “hear-here!” It makes more sense!
Oops, I meant “Since it's not an improvement over 'I agree,' I see no point in preserving it!”
(It's embarrassing to make that kind of error when discussing grammar/usage/spelling issues.)
I had looked up the correct phrase a while ago, probably for a comment I left at Do You Believe?
Is it kitty-corner or catty-corner?
Kitty-corner I think… wiktionary says it is synonymous with catercorner and comes from the french quatre corner.
http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/kitty-corner
Hear, here!
The evolution of meaning tends to follow usage. The form “here, here” can be observed in the antics of MPs in the British Parliament to this day. It means, in that context, an affimation of the views being espoused by an antic speaker.
This could be checked by referring to Hansard, the official record of Parliamentary debate.
I have not done such a check, and would be interested in hearing of any results, to the contrary or otherwise.
tjs
Much to my chagrin, I saw “Here Here” displayed on the closed captioning of a TV program tonight.
Great idea to check Hansard, but unfortunately, the Hansard reports is only “substantially” the verbatim report, “with repetitions and redundancies omitted and with obvious mistakes corrected, but which on the other hand leaves out nothing that adds to the meaning of the speech or illustrates
the argument”. So, in other words, Hansard does not record the Hear Hear's (or the Here Here's as the case may be). The mystery continues.
hear hear!
You have simply misunderstood what you heard in a Commons debate, but this is totally incorrect. Since the two word are pronounced exactly the same way, I'm not sure what led you to draw this conclusion. The MPs are saying “hear, hear,” as they have always done. See: http://www.randomhouse.com/wotd/index.pperl?date=19980304
Oh thank you, was on facebook and someone said “here here” and then later said “or is that hear hear”. I thought it was “hear hear” so will be glad to tell her.
HEAR! HEAR!
and when MP's say it in parliament, it's got passion, something 'i agree' just doesn't . . .
It could always be “here hear”…
Hear, hear!
So how did i find this blog? Well, i googled “hear hear” and that didn't get me here. Oddly, googling “here here” got me here.
Same here. Googled “here here” and hear I am (LOL)
No, in fact it couldn't. 'Hear hear' is an abbreviation of 'hear him, hear him' a phrase used in the British Parliament in the 17th Century. Thus clearly substituting either word for 'here' does not make any sense.
Hear Hear… and I agree about not letting common usage be the primary determinant proper usage.
lol! I, too am here, here, for googling “here here”. I was never sure of the spelling, either, and grammer and proper english work usuage is one of my biggest pet-peeves. (I an continually trying to get people to speak better.) I actually used the term in a letter to an editor the other night, and when it not only made it into the paper, but as the “mailbag” headline, I saw it spelt “hear hear”. And I thought to myself, Hm, they actually liked my letter well enough to edit for the paper. (As opposed to saying, “too much work to edit, moving on…”) I also thought, I'm sure I spelt it “here here”.
So Thank You for taking the time to look this all up. I would have spent the remainder of my life thinking otherwise. (And, no offense, but I'm never in the future going to say “I want to give a big 'I Agree' to so-and-so for whatever…”)
And there I go like the other poster–making a grammatical error during a grammer debate!!
er… ‘grammAr’…
Your outstanding expertise on the subject has fulfilled every purpose in my life. This revelation turned my opinions up side down until I was adamant to believe the way of the “hear hear.” You have altered my very existence because of your willingness to write a blog such as this, and I am grateful to you until my dying day.
Yours Truly
-Krazee Kate
Inspired by
-Adam [who is yet to have a nickname]
I understand the origin of “hear, hear”, and think that it does need to be preserved. But the above comment could or should have included a question mark. As if the speaker (writer) was asking if you “heard them there.” I.e. “did you hear me?”
“hear, here?”
How about it being cattywompus?
Hear, hear!
I was having precisely the same dilemma, wondering which of the same 4 possibilities is correct. Take that colloquialism!
Hear, hear!
hardy har-har!! A good discussion. I wrote here, here in a blog, then saw someone else had written hear, hear…thanks for the clarification.
Haha! Grat discussion this is – and one I'll be discussing all day. I thought it was “hear hear” myself!
Frank @ Debt Help and Debt Advice
Finally someone thought to put some light on this matter. I've been arguing about it with my husband for weeks. He found the “here here” version on some sites, I found my “hear hear” on others. We couldn't decide. I really liked the definition with the Common House and how we still use it today. Thanks for the answer and be prepared to get my husband's comments as soon as I send him the link.
__________
Evelyn Tiffany – dedicated servers programmer.
still looking for a job, and the site that says “hire here”…
can I have a hear hear (or an amen)?
Here's a new one – Who cares!?
Why comment on a subject in which you have absolutely no interest? I actually came by this thread, like a few others, i see, by searching “here, here” for all the same reasons noted above. I completely agree with the utter apathy toward the english language. I mean, it's not like it's the finest language to begin with, but it should be preserved.
Since we are discussing “grammer”, isn't the correct spelling of the word “grammar”? Just wondering!
THANKS! for a comprehensive and intelligent answer to my question.
That would be “e.g.”, not “i.e.”
And “I agree” doesn't direct the listener to pay attention, which appears to be part of the original intention. “Hear ye, hear ye” seems to mean “listen up” as much as it means “I agree”.
“Hear hear” or “Here here” depends on context and, I suspect, your nationality as well.
Does anyone have a view that Americans might tend to spell it “here here” more often than other English speakers? Not that I want to start a war….
Other context considerations…
In sport: “Here! Here!” a commonly shouted phrase meaning: “Can you see me?” Pass the ball to me rather than that swarmed player over there and do it quickly.”
In a meeting: “Hear! Hear” a commonly shouted phrase meaning “I hear you and I agree strongly”.
All I wanted to do was agree on a facebook comment and I had to get dragged into this?
Just for the record…..I found it by Googling…”here, here”…..and so, I was wrong….I think…… 
Now I always assumed it was “Here here” because it meant “The people standing over here agree with what’s been said” – equivalent to saying “seconded”. Thank you for the correction.
Hear hear!
I think they both should stand. Hear, Hear, is to call attention as through a megaphone; an announcement of some kind. Here here, is more to bring calm or order to a situation, along with “there, there now” Thus the divided yet equal usage . . .opo
hier heer!
Wouldn’t it make sense to say “here, hear!” as in, “come here and hear this”…
“here here” is just ignorant.
… and it keeps getting noticed (this blog entry, regarding “hear, hear”)
Haha, the June 17, 2010 explanation for “here, here” is hilarious. Everyone should have a read. I would also be interested to find out if it’s mainly Americans who spell it like that.
Speaking of grammar – ‘According to popular usage twice as many people say “here here” as say “hear hear”.’ rather than ‘According to popular usage twice as many people say “here here” than say “hear hear”.’
(I guess some of us are more anal than others)
“hear, hear” – just wanted to make sure my grammatical usage was correct and found this posting, so thought I’d make this note to add to Google’s counter.