Which to use
“hole” is a noun and “whole” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #28,986
- “hole” frequency rank
- #32,639
- “whole” frequency rank
- 61625
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | hole | whole |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Trou. | Complet, entier, total. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set hole and whole apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
Say them out loud and nothing separates them: hole and whole carry the same recorded pronunciation, \ˈhoʊl\. Grammar is what tells them apart: one is anoun, the other anadjective, so most sentences will only accept one of them. They differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “hole” sits inside “whole”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 61625, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
hole is recorded at frequency rank #28,986, classified as anoun, pronounced \ˈhoʊl\. whole is at rank #32,639, tagged as anadj, pronounced \ˈhoʊl\.
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 61625, this pair ranks #91,287 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of hole vs whole
Shared letters: ehlo. Private to "hole": -. Private to "whole": w.
"hole" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "whole" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "hole" and "whole" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "hole" or "whole"?
Remembering hole vs whole
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “hole”; for an adjective, it's “whole”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “hole” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable