Which to use
“hostel” is a noun and “hostile” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #16,493
- “hostel” frequency rank
- #6,365
- “hostile” frequency rank
- 22858
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | hostel | hostile |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A commercial overnight lodging place, with dormitory accommodation and shared facilities, especially a youth hostel. | Not friendly; appropriate to an enemy; showing the disposition of an enemy; showing ill will and malevolence or a desire to thwart and injure. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set hostel and hostile apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: hostel is /ˈhɑstəl/ while hostile is /ˈhɒstaɪl/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 22858, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
hostel is recorded at frequency rank #16,493, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈhɑstəl/. hostile is at rank #6,365, tagged as anadj, pronounced /ˈhɒstaɪl/.
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 22858, this pair ranks #413,508 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of hostel vs hostile
Shared letters: ehlost. Private to "hostel": -. Private to "hostile": i.
"hostel" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "hostile" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "hostel" and "hostile" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "hostel" or "hostile"?
Remembering hostel vs hostile
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “hostel”; for an adjective, it's “hostile”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “hostel” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable