hold the line
"hold-the-line" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“hold the line” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 13
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To firmly maintain one's viewpoint, principles, or situation; to refuse to change one's practices or plans.
Corpus desk
Index EN-hold-the-line · hold the line · English
hold the line · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-MEGA 13 letters
- VOW-4 4 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "H" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
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.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | hold the line |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| Letters | 13 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “hold the line” in English
Rare enough to double-check
hold the line is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as averb. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "To firmly maintain one's viewpoint, principles, or situation; to refuse to change one's practices or plans.".
hold the line has no tracked misspelling variants, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.
Etymologically, the entry records: Probably an allusion to a line of soldiers remaining steadfastly in position during combat. The correct English form is hold the line, spelled H-O-L-D- -T-H-E- -L-I-N-E.
Definition
- 1To firmly maintain one's viewpoint, principles, or situation; to refuse to change one's practices or plans.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how hold the line appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
The UN General Assembly was expected to hold the line again today against seating Red China.
The quarterly survey . . . said banks were holding the line on lending standards for commercial loans and were more willing to lend to individuals.
Etymology
Probably an allusion to a line of soldiers remaining steadfastly in position during combat.
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.