# holly vs homely

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### holly
*noun · IPA /ˈhɒli/ · frequency rank #8,555*
Any of various shrubs or (mostly) small trees, of the genus Ilex, either evergreen or deciduous, used as decoration especially at Christmas.

### homely
*adjective · IPA /ˈhəʊmli/ · frequency rank #32,848*
Characteristic of, belonging to, or befitting a home; domestic, cosy.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/holly-vs-homely