Holmes

/hoʊmz/

//hoʊmz// name

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

"holmes" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“Holmes” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #6,479. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#6,479
frequency rank, English
2,646
“H” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A northern English surname from Middle English, variant of Holme.

Corpus desk

Index EN-holmes · Holmes · English

Holmes · rank #6,479 · 9 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #6,479
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,646
  • PHOTO-FINISH heels

Nearest frequency peer: heels (-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 “Holmes”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “Holmes” 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).

Holmes vs home
50% similar
Holmes vs Homs
67% similar
Holmes vs homes
67% similar

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

Key facts for Holmes
PropertyValue
HeadwordHolmes
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechProper noun
IPA/hoʊmz/
Letters6
Frequency rank#6,479
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “Holmes”

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “heels” (#6,478), “hull” (#6,480), “happier” (#6,477). Among 2,646 “H” headwords, “Holmes” is #6,479. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around Holmes (IPA /hoʊmz/), aproper noun. Corpus frequency is #6,479 among 2,646 “H” headwords. Wiktionary lists 14 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for Holmes, with forms such as "hholmes", "hlomes", and "holems". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "home", "Homs", "homes", 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 holme, variant of holm (“islet”). The correct English form is Holmes, spelled H-O-L-M-E-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    A northern English surname from Middle English, variant of Holme.
  2. 2
    A Scottish habitational surname from the place near Dundonald.
  3. 3
    A Scottish habitational surname from the place near Dundonald.
  4. 4
    A male given name transferred from the surname.
  5. 5
    A hamlet in Tarleton parish, West Lancashire district, Lancashire, England (OS grid ref SD4319).
  6. 6
    A suburb of Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England (OS grid ref SK4192).
  7. 7
    A suburb of Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia.
  8. 8
    A number of places in the United States:
  9. 9
    A number of places in the United States:
  10. 10
    A number of places in the United States:
  11. 11
    A number of places in the United States:
  12. 12
    A number of places in the United States:
  13. 13
    A number of places in the United States:
  14. 14
    A number of places in the United States:

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Last year, a US appeals court upheld the convictions of Holmes and Theranos President Ramesh “Sunny” Balwani. It also upheld the $452 million in restitution that Holmes and Balwani were ordered to pay to victims.

Etymology

From holme, variant of holm (“islet”).

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • hholmes
  • hlomes
  • holems
  • hollmes
  • holmess
  • holmmes
  • holmse
  • homles
  • ohlmes

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of Holmes - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

hholmes1hlomes2holems2hollmes1holmess1holmmes1holmse2homles2
Edit distance from "Holmes"

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 "Holmes"?
"Holmes" is spelled H-O-L-M-E-S. The IPA pronunciation is /hoʊmz/.
What does "Holmes" mean?
As a proper noun, "Holmes" means: A northern English surname from Middle English, variant of Holme.
What words are commonly confused with "Holmes"?
"Holmes" is commonly confused with "home", "Homs", "homes". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Holmes"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Holmes" is /hoʊmz/. 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 "Holmes"?
From holme, variant of holm (“islet”). 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 "Holmes", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Guinea#6,475guided#6,474filmed#6,471panels#6,497

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

martial9 variantsproves9 variantsstreak9 variantswounds9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list