hold

/həʊld/

//həʊld// verb

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

"hold" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“hold” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #655. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#655
frequency rank, English
2,646
“H” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 2, 2026) - To grasp or grip.

Corpus desk

Index EN-hold · hold · English

hold · rank #655 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-CORE #655
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,646
  • PHOTO-FINISH happen

Nearest frequency peer: happen (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “hold”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “hold” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 2, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

hold vs how
50% similar
hold vs hot
50% similar
hold vs hop
50% similar

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

Key facts for hold
PropertyValue
Headwordhold
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/həʊld/
Letters4
Frequency rank#655
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “hold” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). hold lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around hold (IPA /həʊld/), averb. Corpus frequency is #655 among 2,646 “H” headwords. Wiktionary lists 24 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for hold, with forms such as "hhold", "hlod", and "hodl". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "how", "hot", "hop", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Derived from Middle English holden, derived from Old English healdan, derived from Proto-West Germanic *haldan, derived from Proto-Germanic *haldaną (“to tend, herd”), maybe derived from Proto-Indo-European *kel- (“to drive”). Doublet of halt. Cognates *Wes… The correct English form is hold, spelled H-O-L-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    To grasp or grip.
  2. 2
    To contain or store.
  3. 3
    To maintain or keep to a position or state.
  4. 4
    To maintain or keep to a position or state.
  5. 5
    To maintain or keep to a position or state.
  6. 6
    To maintain or keep to a position or state.
  7. 7
    To maintain or keep to a position or state.
  8. 8
    To maintain or keep to a position or state.
  9. 9
    To maintain or keep to a position or state.
  10. 10
    To maintain or keep to a position or state.
  11. 11
    To maintain or keep to a position or state.
  12. 12
    To maintain or keep to a position or state.
  13. 13
    To maintain or keep to a position or state.
  14. 14
    To maintain or keep to particular opinions, promises, actions.
  15. 15
    To maintain or keep to particular opinions, promises, actions.
  16. 16
    To maintain or keep to particular opinions, promises, actions.
  17. 17
    To maintain or keep to particular opinions, promises, actions.
  18. 18
    To maintain or keep to particular opinions, promises, actions.
  19. 19
    To win one's own service game.
  20. 20
    To take place, to occur.
  21. 21
    To organise an event or meeting (usually in passive voice).
  22. 22
    To derive right or title.
  23. 23
    In a food or drink order at an informal restaurant etc., requesting that a component normally included in that order be omitted.
  24. 24
    To be in possession of illicit drugs for sale.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Hold the pencil like this.
  2. But then I had the flintlock by me for protection. ¶ There were giants in the days when that gun was made; for surely no modern mortal could have held that mass of metal steady to his shoulder. The linen-press and a chest on the top of it formed, however, a very good gun-carriage; and, thus mounted, aim could be taken out of the window[…].

Etymology

Derived from Middle English holden, derived from Old English healdan, derived from Proto-West Germanic *haldan, derived from Proto-Germanic *haldaną (“to tend, herd”), maybe derived from Proto-Indo-European *kel- (“to drive”). Doublet of halt. Cognates *West Frisian hâlde *Low German holden, holen *Dutch houden *German halten *Danish *Norwegian Bokmål holde *Norwegian Nynorsk halda. Compare Latin celer (“quick”), Tocharian B käl- (“to goad, drive”), Ancient Greek κέλλω (kéllō, “to drive”), Sanskrit कलयति (kalayati, “to impel”).

Synonyms

ownhappen

Antonyms

release

This word in other languages

aguantar(Español)tenir(Français)halten(Deutsch)segurar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • hhold
  • hlod
  • hodl
  • holdd
  • holld
  • ohld

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

hhold1hlod2hodl2holdd1holld1ohld2
Edit distance from "hold"

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 2, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "hold"?
"hold" is spelled H-O-L-D. The IPA pronunciation is /həʊld/.
What does "hold" mean?
As a verb, "hold" means: To grasp or grip.
What words are commonly confused with "hold"?
"hold" is commonly confused with "how", "hot", "hop". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "hold"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "hold" is /həʊld/. 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 "hold"?
Derived from Middle English holden, derived from Old English healdan, derived from Proto-West Germanic *haldan, derived from Proto-Germanic *haldaną (“to tend, herd”), maybe derived from Proto-Indo-European *kel- (“to drive”). Doublet of halt. Cog... 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 "hold", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

dead#652star#666test#667view#668

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).

issues6 variantsknew6 variantsfilm6 variantsclub6 variants
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list