holedvshostedWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“holed” and “hosted” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#27,497
“holed” frequency rank
#4,678
“hosted” frequency rank
32175
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature holed hosted
Definition simple past and past participle of hole simple past and past participle of host

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set holed and hosted apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
holed
6 ch
hosted

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

holed and hosted form a confusable pair in the English index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 32175, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

holed is recorded at frequency rank #27,497, classified as averb, pronounced /hoʊld/. hosted is at rank #4,678, tagged as averb, pronounced /ˈhoʊstɪd/.

Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.

With a confusion score of 32175, this pair ranks #340,039 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Frequency comparison

holed#27,497
hosted#4,678

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "holed" and "hosted" be used interchangeably?
No, "holed" and "hosted" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering holed vs hosted

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “holed” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list