The crystal structures of seven -aryl--hydroxyphosphonates synthesized by the Pudovik reaction of substituted benzaldehydes and dialkyl phosphites, namely dimethyl [(hydroxy)(phenyl)methyl]phosphonate, C 9 H 13 O 4 P, dimethyl [(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)(hydroxy)methyl]phosphonate, C 11 H 17 O 6 P, dimethyl (1-hydroxy-1-phenylethyl)phosphonate, C 10 H 15 O 4 P, dimethyl [1-hydroxy-1-(4nitrophenyl)ethyl]phosphonate, C 10 H 14 NO 6 P, dibenzyl [hydroxy(2-nitrophenyl)methyl]phosphonate, C 21 H 20 NO 6 P, dibenzyl [(3-chlorophenyl)(hydroxy)methyl]phosphonate, C 21 H 20 ClO 4 P, and dibenzyl [hydroxy(4-methylphenyl)methyl]phosphonate, C 22 H 23 O 4 P, were studied to gain a better understanding of the organization in this type of molecule in the solid state. The crystals obtained for this series of compounds show a balance between C-OHÁ Á ÁO P chain-linked packing and the dimeric types of hydrogen-bond bridges of intermolecular pairs of such functions. The description is based on primary graph-set descriptors. Using graph-set descriptors one level deeper (i.e. secondary graph sets of the C-HÁ Á ÁO type) revealed a similarity in the graph-set descriptors, suggesting a fine interplay of substituent-and shape-dependent effects on strong-weak interactions. It seems that the formation of chains or dimers is governed not only by the presence of a tertiary C atom, but also by the nature and crowding of the ortho substituents of the -aryl group.