# holiness

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈhoʊlinəs/ · frequency rank #15,829

## Definitions
1. The state or condition of being holy.

## 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”).

## Easily confused with
- **hotness** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/holiness-vs-hotness)
- **holiest** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/holiest-vs-holiness)

## Common misspellings (10)
`hholiness`, `hloiness`, `hoilness`, `holienss`, `holines`, `holinness`, `holinses`, `holliness`, `holniess`, `ohliness`

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