holiness

/ˈhoʊlinəs/

//ˈhoʊlinəs// noun

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

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

The verdict

“holiness” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #15,829. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#15,829
frequency rank, English
2,646
“H” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The state or condition of being holy.

Corpus desk

Index EN-holiness · holiness · English

holiness · rank #15,829 · 10 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #15,829
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,646
  • PHOTO-FINISH Harding

Nearest frequency peer: Harding (-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 “holiness”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “holiness” 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).

holiness vs hotness
75% similar
holiness vs holiest
75% similar

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

Key facts for holiness
PropertyValue
Headwordholiness
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈhoʊlinəs/
Letters8
Frequency rank#15,829
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “holiness”

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

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “Harding” (#15,828), “horrifying” (#15,830), “grouping” (#15,827). Among 2,646 “H” headwords, “holiness” is #15,829. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around holiness (IPA /ˈhoʊlinəs/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #15,829 among 2,646 “H” headwords. Dominant gloss: "The state or condition of being holy.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for holiness, with forms such as "hholiness", "hloiness", and "hoilness". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "hotness", "holiest", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English holynesse, holinesse, halinesse, from Old English hāliġnes (“holiness, a holy thing, rites”), from Proto-West Germanic *hailagnassī, equivalent to holy + -ness. Cognate with West Frisian hilligens (“holiness”), Old High German heilagniss… The correct English form is holiness, spelled H-O-L-I-N-E-S-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    The state or condition of being holy.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. R. Moskowitz charges cisgender readers to be as conscious and deliberate with our religious identities as transgender and gender non-conforming people are with theirs, arguing that holiness is only achieved through continuous and unrelenting struggle and change.
  2. “Through the Sacraments, God shares his holiness with us so that we, in turn, can make the world holier,” the conference says on its website.

Etymology

From Middle English holynesse, holinesse, halinesse, from Old English hāliġnes (“holiness, a holy thing, rites”), from Proto-West Germanic *hailagnassī, equivalent to holy + -ness. Cognate with West Frisian hilligens (“holiness”), Old High German heilagnissi, heilīgnissi (“holiness”), whence Middle High German heilignis (“halidom”).

Synonyms

sacralitysacrednesssanctity

This word in other languages

santidad(Español)sainteté(Français)Heiligkeit(Deutsch)santidade(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • hholiness
  • hloiness
  • hoilness
  • holienss
  • holines
  • holinness
  • holinses
  • holliness
  • holniess
  • ohliness

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

hholiness1hloiness2hoilness2holienss2holines1holinness1holinses2holliness1
Edit distance from "holiness"

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 "holiness"?
"holiness" is spelled H-O-L-I-N-E-S-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈhoʊlinəs/.
What does "holiness" mean?
As a noun, "holiness" means: The state or condition of being holy.
What words are commonly confused with "holiness"?
"holiness" is commonly confused with "hotness", "holiest". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "holiness"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "holiness" is /ˈhoʊlinəs/. 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 "holiness"?
From Middle English holynesse, holinesse, halinesse, from Old English hāliġnes (“holiness, a holy thing, rites”), from Proto-West Germanic *hailagnassī, equivalent to holy + -ness. Cognate with West Frisian hilligens (“holiness”), Old High German ... 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 "holiness", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

grouping#15,827forcibly#15,819initials#15,839epilepsy#15,810

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

ethanol10 variantsKeepers10 variantsleukemia10 variantslooting10 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list