ahold

/əˈhoʊld/

//əˈhoʊld// adv

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"ahold" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“ahold” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #34,370. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#34,370
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
13
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Brought to lie as near to the windward as it can to get out to sea, and thereby held steady.

Corpus desk

Index EN-ahold · ahold · English

ahold · rank #34,370 · 7 variants · 13 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #34,370
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 13 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH aggressiveness

Nearest frequency peer: aggressiveness (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “ahold”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “ahold” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

ahold vs AOL
0% similar
ahold vs auld
60% similar
ahold vs ahoy
60% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for ahold
PropertyValue
Headwordahold
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdverb
IPA/əˈhoʊld/
Letters5
Frequency rank#34,370
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs13
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “ahold”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).aholdlands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “aggressiveness” (#34,369), “Aetna” (#34,368), “Alana” (#34,372). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “ahold” is #34,370. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around ahold (IPA /əˈhoʊld/), anadverb. Corpus frequency is #34,370 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Dominant gloss: "Brought to lie as near to the windward as it can to get out to sea, and thereby held steady.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for ahold, with forms such as "ahhold", "ahlod", and "ahodl". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 13 confusable-pair relationships, "AOL", "auld", "ahoy", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From a- (“on”) + hold. The correct English form is ahold, spelled A-H-O-L-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    Brought to lie as near to the windward as it can to get out to sea, and thereby held steady.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

These source excerpts show how ahold appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Lay her a hold, a hold, ſet her two courſes off to Sea againe, lay her off.

Etymology

From a- (“on”) + hold.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ahhold
  • ahlod
  • ahodl
  • aholdd
  • aholld
  • aohld
  • haold

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of ahold - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

ahhold1ahlod2ahodl2aholdd1aholld1aohld2haold2
Edit distance from "ahold"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "ahold"?
"ahold" is spelled A-H-O-L-D. The IPA pronunciation is /əˈhoʊld/.
What does "ahold" mean?
As an adverb, "ahold" means: Brought to lie as near to the windward as it can to get out to sea, and thereby held steady.
What words are commonly confused with "ahold"?
"ahold" is commonly confused with "AOL", "auld", "ahoy". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "ahold"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ahold" is /əˈhoʊld/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "ahold"?
From a- (“on”) + hold. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "ahold", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Aetna#34,368Alana#34,372amigo#34,376anode#34,377

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

argon7 variantsbriar7 variantscaper7 variantstopaz7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list