hols

/hɒlz/

//hɒlz// noun

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

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

The verdict

“hols” is uncommon English (frequency #89,461 among 2,646 “H” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#89,461
frequency rank, English
2,646
“H” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Holidays (time off work or time spent travelling).

Corpus desk

Index EN-hols · hols · English

hols · rank #89,461 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #89,461
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,646
  • PHOTO-FINISH hominin

Nearest frequency peer: hominin (+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.

Long-tail ranks near “hols”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “hols” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for hols
PropertyValue
Headwordhols
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/hɒlz/
Letters4
Frequency rank#89,461
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “hols” in English

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

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “hominin” (#89,462), “Hohenzollern” (#89,459), “Honiton” (#89,463). Among 2,646 “H” headwords, “hols” is #89,461. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

hols is uncommon English at frequency #89,461 among 2,646 “H” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /hɒlz/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Holidays (time off work or time spent travelling).".

hols doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: Clipping of holidays. The correct English form is hols, spelled H-O-L-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Holidays (time off work or time spent travelling).

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Where are you off to on your hols this year?
  2. "A lot of queer things happened to me in the hols," said Eustace mysteriously.

Etymology

Clipping of holidays.

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 "hols"?
"hols" is spelled H-O-L-S. The IPA pronunciation is /hɒlz/.
What does "hols" mean?
As a noun, "hols" means: Holidays (time off work or time spent travelling).
How do you pronounce "hols"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "hols" is /hɒlz/. 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 "hols"?
Clipping of holidays. 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 "hols", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

IIHF#89,477hatt#89,440Irak#89,489gren#89,417

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list