holm

/həʊm/

//həʊm// noun

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

"holm" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“holm” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #34,526 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#34,526
frequency rank, English
4
letters
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Small island, islet.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

holm vs how
50% similar
holm vs hot
50% similar
holm vs hop
50% similar

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

Key facts for holm
PropertyValue
Headwordholm
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/həʊm/
Letters4
Frequency rank#34,526
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “holm” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for holm is 4 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /həʊm/. Corpus data places it at rank #34,526 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for holm, with forms such as "hholm", "hlom", and "hollm". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "how", "hot", "hop", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English holm, holme, from Old English holm (“wave, ocean, water, sea, islet”) and Old Norse holmr, holmi (“islet”), both from the Proto-Germanic *hulmaz (“rising ground, hill, island”), from Proto-Indo-European root *kelH- (“to rise, be elevated… The correct English form is holm, spelled H-O-L-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    Small island, islet.
  2. 2
    An island in a lake, river or estuary; an eyot.
  3. 3
    Any small island, but especially one near a larger island or the mainland, sometimes with holly bushes; an islet, often in Norse-influenced place-names.
  4. 4
    Rich flat land near a river, prone to flooding.

Etymology

From Middle English holm, holme, from Old English holm (“wave, ocean, water, sea, islet”) and Old Norse holmr, holmi (“islet”), both from the Proto-Germanic *hulmaz (“rising ground, hill, island”), from Proto-Indo-European root *kelH- (“to rise, be elevated, be prominent; hill”). Cognate with Old Saxon holm, Middle Low German holm, German Holm, Middle Dutch holm, Danish holm, Swedish holme, Norwegian Bokmål holme, Icelandic hólmur.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: hholm,hlom,hollm,holmm,homl,ohlm

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of holm - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

hholm1hlom2hollm1holmm1homl2ohlm2
Edit distance from "holm"

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 "holm"?
"holm" is spelled H-O-L-M. The IPA pronunciation is /həʊm/.
What does "holm" mean?
As a noun, "holm" means: Small island, islet.
What words are commonly confused with "holm"?
"holm" is commonly confused with "how", "hot", "hop". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "holm"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "holm" is /həʊm/. 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 "holm"?
From Middle English holm, holme, from Old English holm (“wave, ocean, water, sea, islet”) and Old Norse holmr, holmi (“islet”), both from the Proto-Germanic *hulmaz (“rising ground, hill, island”), from Proto-Indo-European root *kelH- (“to rise, b... 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.

Using “holm”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is H-O-L-M - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /həʊm/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “how” - see the side-by-side comparison. holm vs how
  • 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list