'Whole' means complete or entire; 'hole' is an opening or gap.
Adjective/noun. Complete, entire, without anything missing. Also the total of something.
She ate the whole pizza by herself.
The whole team celebrated the victory.
We spent the whole afternoon reviewing the contract.
Noun. An empty space, opening, or gap in a surface or material.
There is a hole in my shoe.
The workers dug a hole to lay the new pipes.
A black hole is a region of space with extreme gravity.
Common mistake
Writing 'whole' when talking about a gap: "There is a whole in the wall" (correct: hole). The silent W in 'whole' also catches people off guard.
Trick to remember it
'Whole' has a silent W — the whole word still sounds like 'hole'. Remember: 'whole' has more letters because it is complete and full. 'Hole' is shorter because it is empty.
Quick rule
'Whole' with W = full and complete (the extra W adds something). 'Hole' without W = empty space (nothing extra).
Did you know?
The expression 'the whole nine yards' (meaning everything, completely) has an uncertain origin. A popular theory links it to the nine yards of fabric needed for a full suit, but there is no clear historical evidence.
Exercise 1 · Pick the right one
They spent the _____ morning trying to fix the server without success.
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
There is a large _____ in the road that damaged several cars.
Exercise 3 · Form the word
'Whole' with W = full and complete (the extra W adds something). 'Hole' without W = empty space (nothing extra).
Writing 'whole' when talking about a gap: "There is a whole in the wall" (correct: hole). The silent W in 'whole' also catches people off guard.
'Whole' has a silent W — the whole word still sounds like 'hole'. Remember: 'whole' has more letters because it is complete and full. 'Hole' is shorter because it is empty.
Bryan López
Founder of SpeakUP Academy