# heal

> English word · Verb · IPA /hiːl/ · frequency rank #5,886

## Definitions
1. To make better from a disease, wound, etc.; to revive or cure.
2. To become better or healthy again.
3. To reconcile, as a breach or difference; to make whole; to free from guilt.

## Etymology
From Middle English helen, from Old English hǣlan (“to heal, cure, save, greet, salute”), from Proto-West Germanic *hailijan, from Proto-Germanic *hailijaną (“to heal, make whole, save”), from Proto-Indo-European *kéh₂ilos (“healthy, whole”). Derived from the adjective at hand in whole.
Cognates
Cognate with Scots hale, hail (“to heal”), Saterland Frisian heila, heilen (“to heal”), West Frisian hielje, Dutch helen (“to heal”), German heilen (“to heal”), Danish hele, Swedish hela (“to heal”), and further Russian цели́ть (celítʹ, “to heal”), Polish calić (“to save”), Czech celit (“to heal”), Serbo-Croatian céliti (“to heal”).

## Easily confused with
- **her** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/heal-vs-her)
- **hey** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/heal-vs-hey)
- **hes** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/heal-vs-hes)
- **heh** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/heal-vs-heh)
- **hen** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/heal-vs-hen)
- **hee** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/heal-vs-hee)
- **hem** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/heal-vs-hem)
- **hua** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/heal-vs-hua)
- **het** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/heal-vs-het)
- **hoa** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/heal-vs-hoa)
- **Hel** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/heal-vs-hel)
- **hep** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/heal-vs-hep)
- **HPA** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/heal-vs-hpa)
- **hed** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/heal-vs-hed)
- **HSA** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/heal-vs-hsa)
- **hew** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/heal-vs-hew)
- **here** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/heal-vs-here)
- **help** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/heal-vs-help)
- **held** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/heal-vs-held)
- **hear** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/heal-vs-hear)

## Common misspellings (5)
`ehal`, `hael`, `heall`, `hela`, `hheal`

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