wholehearted

/ˌhəʊlˈhɑː(ɹ)t.əd/

//ˌhəʊlˈhɑː(ɹ)t.əd// adj

"wholehearted" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“wholehearted” is uncommon English (frequency #69,585 among 12,113 “W” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#69,585
frequency rank, English
12,113
“W” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Showing enthusiastic and unconditional commitment; having no reservations.

Key facts for wholehearted
PropertyValue
Headwordwholehearted
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˌhəʊlˈhɑː(ɹ)t.əd/
Letters12
Frequency rank#69,585
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “wholehearted” 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). wholehearted lands here:

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

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

Rare enough to double-check

wholehearted is uncommon English at frequency #69,585 among 12,113 “W” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˌhəʊlˈhɑː(ɹ)t.əd/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Showing enthusiastic and unconditional commitment; having no reservations.".

wholehearted doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From whole + hearted. First appears before 1628 in the publications of John Preston, a clergyman in the Church of England. The correct English form is wholehearted, spelled W-H-O-L-E-H-E-A-R-T-E-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    Showing enthusiastic and unconditional commitment; having no reservations.

Etymology

From whole + hearted. First appears before 1628 in the publications of John Preston, a clergyman in the Church of England.

This word in other languages

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 "wholehearted"?
"wholehearted" is spelled W-H-O-L-E-H-E-A-R-T-E-D. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌhəʊlˈhɑː(ɹ)t.əd/.
What does "wholehearted" mean?
As an adjective, "wholehearted" means: Showing enthusiastic and unconditional commitment; having no reservations.
How do you pronounce "wholehearted"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "wholehearted" is /ˌhəʊlˈhɑː(ɹ)t.əd/. 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 "wholehearted"?
From whole + hearted. First appears before 1628 in the publications of John Preston, a clergyman in the Church of England. 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 “wholehearted”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is W-H-O-L-E-H-E-A-R-T-E-D - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˌhəʊlˈhɑː(ɹ)t.əd/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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