beholden

/bɪˈhəʊldən/

//bɪˈhəʊldən// adj

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

"beholden" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“beholden” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #36,451. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#36,451
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Obligated to provide, display, or do something for another; indebted, obliged for a bounden duty.

Corpus desk

Index EN-beholden · beholden · English

beholden · rank #36,451 · 12 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #36,451
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH bedouin

Nearest frequency peer: bedouin (-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 “beholden”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “beholden” 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).

beholden vs beholder
88% similar
beholden vs behold
75% similar

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

Key facts for beholden
PropertyValue
Headwordbeholden
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/bɪˈhəʊldən/
Letters8
Frequency rank#36,451
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “beholden”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).beholdenlands 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 “bedouin” (#36,450), “beholder” (#36,452), “beastie” (#36,449). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “beholden” is #36,451. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around beholden (IPA /bɪˈhəʊldən/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #36,451 among 4,121 “B” headwords. Dominant gloss: "Obligated to provide, display, or do something for another; indebted, obliged for a bounden duty.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for beholden, with forms such as "bbeholden", "behholden", and "behloden". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "beholder", "behold", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English biholden (“beholden, obligated”), past participle of biholden (“to behold, look at”, modern behold), though that verb does not mean "to bind, obligate". The correct English form is beholden, spelled B-E-H-O-L-D-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Obligated to provide, display, or do something for another; indebted, obliged for a bounden duty.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. From an early age, I had decided I wanted to be beholden to no one.
  2. But musical ancestry aside, the influence to which [Justin] Bieber is most beholden is the current trends in pop music, which means Believe is loaded up with EDM accouterments, seeking a comfortable middle ground where Bieber’s impressively refined pop-R&B croon can rub up on techno blasts and garish dubstep drops (and occasionally grind on some AutoTune,…

Etymology

From Middle English biholden (“beholden, obligated”), past participle of biholden (“to behold, look at”, modern behold), though that verb does not mean "to bind, obligate".

This word in other languages

comprometido(Español)redevable(Français)verpflichtet(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • bbeholden
  • behholden
  • behloden
  • behodlen
  • beholdden
  • beholdenn
  • beholdne
  • beholedn
  • behollden
  • beohlden
  • bheolden
  • ebholden

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of beholden - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

bbeholden1behholden1behloden2behodlen2beholdden1beholdenn1beholdne2beholedn2
Edit distance from "beholden"

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 "beholden"?
"beholden" is spelled B-E-H-O-L-D-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is /bɪˈhəʊldən/.
What does "beholden" mean?
As an adjective, "beholden" means: Obligated to provide, display, or do something for another; indebted, obliged for a bounden duty.
What words are commonly confused with "beholden"?
"beholden" is commonly confused with "beholder", "behold". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "beholden"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "beholden" is /bɪˈhəʊldən/. 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 "beholden"?
From Middle English biholden (“beholden, obligated”), past participle of biholden (“to behold, look at”, modern behold), though that verb does not mean "to bind, obligate". 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 "beholden", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

beholder#36,452avionics#36,443Brandeis#36,462Brinkley#36,464

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

bubblegum12 variantsarchduke12 variantsairstrip12 variantscatwoman12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list