stronghold

/ˈstɹɒŋhəʊld/

//ˈstɹɒŋhəʊld// noun

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

"stronghold" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“stronghold” has 17 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #16,800. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#16,800
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
17
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A place built to withstand attack; a fortress.

Corpus desk

Index EN-stronghold · stronghold · English

stronghold · rank #16,800 · 17 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #16,800
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 17 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH stumble

Nearest frequency peer: stumble (+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 “stronghold”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “stronghold” 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
Key facts for stronghold
PropertyValue
Headwordstronghold
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈstɹɒŋhəʊld/
Letters10
Frequency rank#16,800
Misspellings tracked17
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “stronghold”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).strongholdlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “stumble” (#16,801), “STD” (#16,797), “standby” (#16,796). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “stronghold” is #16,800. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 17 spelling variants around stronghold (IPA /ˈstɹɒŋhəʊld/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #16,800 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 17 likely wrong-spelling variants for stronghold, with forms such as "srtonghold", "sstronghold", and "stornghold". 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. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English stranghalde, strong-hold, strong-holde, from strong (“having physical strength, sturdy, strong; built to withstand assaults, fortified”) (from Old English strang, strong (“strong”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *strengʰ- (“stiff, … The correct English form is stronghold, spelled S-T-R-O-N-G-H-O-L-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    A place built to withstand attack; a fortress.
  2. 2
    A place of domination by, or refuge or survival of, a particular group or idea.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. AFter this victory thus opteyned by the Sicambris, they waxed so stronge that they wan frome yᵉ Almaynes dyuers Townes & stronge holds wᵗin Germania, and after that they opteyned yᵉ famous Cytie named Treueris; which as wytnessyth yᵉ Auctour of Cronica Cronicaruin, was firste foundyd in the Towne of the Patryarch Abraham before the Incarnation of Criste.
  2. For security's sake they [the Germans] gathered together in villages and cities. These they surrounded with heavy walls and towers, and protected them by castles, erected on steep cliffs and mountains. The custody of these strongholds was entrusted to the most efficient warriors, who in time formed a separate class, the nobility, from which the heads of t…

Etymology

From Middle English stranghalde, strong-hold, strong-holde, from strong (“having physical strength, sturdy, strong; built to withstand assaults, fortified”) (from Old English strang, strong (“strong”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *strengʰ- (“stiff, tight”)) + hōld (“grasp, grip; control, possession, rule”) (from Old English). By surface analysis, strong + hold.

This word in other languages

bastión(Español)bastion(Français)Festung(Deutsch)fortaleza(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • srtonghold
  • sstronghold
  • stornghold
  • strnoghold
  • strognhold
  • strongghold
  • stronghhold
  • stronghlod
  • stronghodl
  • strongholdd
  • strongholld
  • strongohld
  • stronhgold
  • stronnghold
  • strronghold
  • sttronghold
  • tsronghold

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of stronghold - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

srtonghold2sstronghold1stornghold2strnoghold2strognhold2strongghold1stronghhold1stronghlod2
Edit distance from "stronghold"

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 "stronghold"?
"stronghold" is spelled S-T-R-O-N-G-H-O-L-D. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈstɹɒŋhəʊld/.
What does "stronghold" mean?
As a noun, "stronghold" means: A place built to withstand attack; a fortress.
What are common misspellings of "stronghold"?
Common misspellings include "srtonghold", "sstronghold", "stornghold", "strnoghold", "strognhold". The correct spelling is "stronghold".
How do you pronounce "stronghold"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "stronghold" is /ˈstɹɒŋhəʊld/. 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 "stronghold"?
From Middle English stranghalde, strong-hold, strong-holde, from strong (“having physical strength, sturdy, strong; built to withstand assaults, fortified”) (from Old English strang, strong (“strong”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *strengʰ-... 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 "stronghold", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

triangular#16,809ubiquitous#16,814reluctance#16,784witchcraft#16,831

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (17 here; floor ≥5).

replication17 variantsprehistoric17 variantsanonymously17 variantsmiscellaneous17 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list