# withheld vs withhold

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### withheld
*adjective · IPA /wɪθˈhɛld/ · frequency rank #18,224*
That has been kept or held back from the possession or knowledge of another.

### withhold
*verb · IPA /wɪθˈhəʊld/ · frequency rank #20,269*
To keep (a physical object that one has obtained) to oneself rather than giving it back to its owner.

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