holier-than-thou
/ˈhəʊ.li.ə ðən ˈðaʊ/
"holier-than-thou" is a 14-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“holier-than-thou” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 16
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Hypocritically or self-righteously pious; sanctimonious; smugly morally superior.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | holier-than-thou |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /ˈhəʊ.li.ə ðən ˈðaʊ/ |
| Letters | 16 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “holier-than-thou” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
holier-than-thou is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˈhəʊ.li.ə ðən ˈðaʊ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Hypocritically or self-righteously pious; sanctimonious; smugly morally superior.".
holier-than-thou doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. Our dataset records no confusable match here, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Isaiah 65:5 in the Bible (King James Version; spelling modernized): “Stand by thyself, come not near to me; for I am holier than thou”; from Biblical Hebrew קְדַשְׁתִּיךָ (qəḏaštîḵā). The correct English form is holier-than-thou, spelled H-O-L-I-E-R---T-H-A-N---T-H-O-U.
Definition
- 1Hypocritically or self-righteously pious; sanctimonious; smugly morally superior.
Etymology
From Isaiah 65:5 in the Bible (King James Version; spelling modernized): “Stand by thyself, come not near to me; for I am holier than thou”; from Biblical Hebrew קְדַשְׁתִּיךָ (qəḏaštîḵā).
This word in other languages
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.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you spell "holier-than-thou"?
What does "holier-than-thou" mean?
How do you pronounce "holier-than-thou"?
What is the origin of the word "holier-than-thou"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “holier-than-thou”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is H-O-L-I-E-R---T-H-A-N---T-H-O-U - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈhəʊ.li.ə ðən ˈðaʊ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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.