hobnob
hob·nob/ˈhɑbˌnɑb/noun, verb, adjective
hobnob is spelled H-O-B-N-O-B: 6 letters and 2 syllables (hob·nob). It appears about once in every 15 million words in written English, the 117,098th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, hobnob means “A drinking together” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of hobnob is hobnobs.
How many letters and syllables are in hobnob?
| Letters | 6: H-O-B-N-O-B |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: hob·nob |
| In writing | about once in every 15 million words; the 117,098th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is hobnob?
Hobnob appears about once in every 15 million words in written English, the 117,098th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce hobnob?
- UK /ˈhɒbnɒb/
- US /ˈhɑbˌnɑb/
Hobnob has 2 syllables, split hob·nob in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-au-hobnob.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of hobnob
- hobnobs plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- hobnobbing participle, present
- hobnobbed participle, past
- hob-nob
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does hobnob mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
obsoleteA toast made while touching glasses together.
- 2
A drinking together.
- 3
An informal chat.
The three friends had a hobnob outside the bar.
verb
- 1
To drink together.
- 2
derogatoryTo associate with in a friendly manner, often with those of a higher class or status; to fraternize.
The ambitious young student hobnobbed with the faculty at the prestigious college he hoped to attend.
- 3
obsoleterareTo have or have not; to give or take.
- 4
obsoleteTo toast one another by touching glasses.
adjective
- 1
On friendly terms; in friendly association.
adverb
- 1
obsoleteAt random; at a venture; hit and miss.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Hobnob in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense informal chat:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | zwanglos unterhalten, einen Schwatz halten, ein Schwätzchen halten |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does hobnob come from?
From hob and nob, hob or nob (“a phrase spoken when making a toast, possibly meaning ‘give and take’; to take turns toasting or buying rounds of drinks”) (archaic), from dialectal hab nab (“to have or have not, in the sense of an invitation to have a drink”), from Old English habban (“to have, possess”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kap- (“to grab, seize”)) + nabban (“to not have”) (from ne (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *né (“not”)) + habban).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).