withhold

/wɪθˈhəʊld/

//wɪθˈhəʊld// verb

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

"withhold" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“withhold” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #20,269. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#20,269
frequency rank, English
1,759
“W” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To keep (a physical object that one has obtained) to oneself rather than giving it back to its owner.

Corpus desk

Index EN-withhold · withhold · English

withhold · rank #20,269 · 11 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #20,269
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,759
  • PHOTO-FINISH worshipped

Nearest frequency peer: worshipped (+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 “withhold”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “withhold” 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).

withhold vs withheld
88% similar

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

Key facts for withhold
PropertyValue
Headwordwithhold
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/wɪθˈhəʊld/
Letters8
Frequency rank#20,269
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “withhold”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).withholdlands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “worshipped” (#20,270), “whine” (#20,267), “yee” (#20,271). Among 1,759 “W” headwords, “withhold” is #20,269. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around withhold (IPA /wɪθˈhəʊld/), averb. Corpus frequency is #20,269 among 1,759 “W” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for withhold, with forms such as "iwthhold", "wihthold", and "withhlod". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "withheld", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English withholden. Equivalent to with- + hold. The correct English form is withhold, spelled W-I-T-H-H-O-L-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    To keep (a physical object that one has obtained) to oneself rather than giving it back to its owner.
  2. 2
    To keep (information, assent etc) to oneself rather than revealing it.
  3. 3
    To stay back, to refrain.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The bank withheld her credit card.
  2. withhold vital information

Etymology

From Middle English withholden. Equivalent to with- + hold.

Synonyms

retain

This word in other languages

retener(Español)zurückhalten(Deutsch)reter(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • iwthhold
  • wihthold
  • withhlod
  • withhodl
  • withholdd
  • withholld
  • withohld
  • withold
  • witthhold
  • wtihhold
  • wwithhold

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of withhold - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

iwthhold2wihthold2withhlod2withhodl2withholdd1withholld1withohld2withold1
Edit distance from "withhold"

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 "withhold"?
"withhold" is spelled W-I-T-H-H-O-L-D. The IPA pronunciation is /wɪθˈhəʊld/.
What does "withhold" mean?
As a verb, "withhold" means: To keep (a physical object that one has obtained) to oneself rather than giving it back to its owner.
What words are commonly confused with "withhold"?
"withhold" is commonly confused with "withheld". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "withhold"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "withhold" is /wɪθˈhəʊld/. 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 "withhold"?
From Middle English withholden. Equivalent to with- + hold. 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 "withhold", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Yosemite#20,274ventured#20,260unsolved#20,256unmanned#20,254

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

audacity11 variantsbravely11 variantschevron11 variantscoercion11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list