# holy

> English word · Adjective · IPA /ˈhəʊli/ · frequency rank #1,396

## Definitions
1. Dedicated to a religious purpose or a god.
2. Revered in a religion.
3. Morally perfect or flawless, or nearly so.
4. Separated or set apart from (something unto something or someone else).
5. Set apart or dedicated for a specific purpose, or for use by a single entity or person.
6. Used as an intensifier in various interjections.

## Etymology
Inherited from Middle English holi, hali, from Old English hāliġ, hāleġ (“holy, consecrated, sacred, venerated, godly, saintly, ecclesiastical, pacific, tame”), from Proto-West Germanic *hailag, from Proto-Germanic *hailagaz (“holy, bringing health”), from Proto-Germanic *hailaz (“healthy, whole”), from Proto-Indo-European *kéh₂ilos (“healthy, whole”), equivalent to whole + -y and a doublet of later wholly.
Cognate with Scots haly (“holy”), West Frisian hillich (“holy”), Low German hillig (“holy”), Dutch heilig (“holy”), German heilig (“holy”), Danish hellig (“holy”), Swedish helig (“holy”). More at whole.

## Easily confused with
- **how** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/holy-vs-how)
- **hot** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/holy-vs-hot)
- **hop** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/holy-vs-hop)
- **hon** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/holy-vs-hon)
- **hoo** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/holy-vs-hoo)
- **hwy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/holy-vs-hwy)
- **Hou** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/holy-vs-hou)
- **hoy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/holy-vs-hoy)
- **hos** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/holy-vs-hos)
- **Hom** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/holy-vs-hom)
- **hor** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/holy-vs-hor)
- **HOV** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/holy-vs-hov)
- **home** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/holy-vs-home)
- **hope** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/holy-vs-hope)
- **hour** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/holy-vs-hour)
- **host** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/holy-vs-host)
- **hong** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/holy-vs-hong)
- **hook** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/holy-vs-hook)
- **hood** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/holy-vs-hood)
- **horn** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/holy-vs-horn)

## Common misspellings (5)
`hholy`, `hloy`, `holyy`, `hoyl`, `ohly`

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