# hollow

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈhɒl.əʊ/ · frequency rank #7,697

## Definitions
1. A small valley between mountains.
2. A sunken area on a surface.
3. An unfilled space in something solid; a cavity, natural or artificial.
4. A feeling of emptiness.

## Etymology
From Middle English holow, holowe, holwe, holwȝ, holgh, from Old English holh (“a hollow”), from Proto-West Germanic *holh, from Proto-Germanic *hulhwą, perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *ḱólḱwos. Cognate with Old High German huliwa and hulwa, Middle High German hülwe. Related to hole.

## Easily confused with
- **holly** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hollow-vs-holly)
- **Holton** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hollow-vs-holton)
- **Holloway** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hollow-vs-holloway)
- **hello** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hello-vs-hollow)
- **hallo** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hallo-vs-hollow)
- **holla** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/holla-vs-hollow)
- **Hollis** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hollis-vs-hollow)
- **Harlow** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/harlow-vs-hollow)
- **holler** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/holler-vs-hollow)
- **Holley** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/holley-vs-hollow)
- **hallows** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hallows-vs-hollow)

## Common misspellings (7)
`hhollow`, `hlolow`, `holloww`, `hollwo`, `hololw`, `holow`, `ohllow`

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