hoist

/hɔɪst/

//hɔɪst// verb

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"hoist" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“hoist” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #24,784. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#24,784
frequency rank, English
2,646
“H” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To raise; to lift; to elevate (especially, to raise or lift to a desired elevation, by means of tackle or pulley, said of a sail, a flag, a heavy package or weight).

Corpus desk

Index EN-hoist · hoist · English

hoist · rank #24,784 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #24,784
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,646
  • PHOTO-FINISH hiya

Nearest frequency peer: hiya (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “hoist”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “hoist” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

hoist vs hot
60% similar
hoist vs hos
60% similar
hoist vs host
80% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for hoist
PropertyValue
Headwordhoist
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/hɔɪst/
Letters5
Frequency rank#24,784
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “hoist”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).hoistlands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “hiya” (#24,783), “hives” (#24,782), “Hubble” (#24,786). Among 2,646 “H” headwords, “hoist” is #24,784. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around hoist (IPA /hɔɪst/), averb. Corpus frequency is #24,784 among 2,646 “H” headwords. Wiktionary lists 7 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for hoist, with forms such as "hhoist", "hiost", and "hoisst". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "hot", "hos", "host", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Alteration of earlier hoise (“to hoist”), apparently based on the past tense forms, from Middle Dutch hisen (“to hoist”). Compare modern Dutch hijsen (“to hoist”), German hissen (“to hoist”), Danish hejse (“to hoist”). Compare also French hisser (“to hoist”… The correct English form is hoist, spelled H-O-I-S-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    To raise; to lift; to elevate (especially, to raise or lift to a desired elevation, by means of tackle or pulley, said of a sail, a flag, a heavy package or weight).
  2. 2
    To lift a trophy or similar prize into the air in celebration of a victory.
  3. 3
    To lift someone up to be flogged.
  4. 4
    To be lifted up.
  5. 5
    To extract (code) from a loop construct as part of optimization.
  6. 6
    To steal.
  7. 7
    To rob.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how hoist appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. For tis the ſport to haue the enginer / Hoiſt with his ovvne petar, an't ſhall goe hard / But I vvill delue one yard belovve their mines, / And blovve them at the Moone: […]
  2. They land my goods, and hoist my flying sails.

Etymology

Alteration of earlier hoise (“to hoist”), apparently based on the past tense forms, from Middle Dutch hisen (“to hoist”). Compare modern Dutch hijsen (“to hoist”), German hissen (“to hoist”), Danish hejse (“to hoist”). Compare also French hisser (“to hoist”), Galician isar (“to hoist”), Spanish izar (“to hoist”), Catalan hissar (“to hoist”), Italian issare (“to hoist”), Portuguese içar (“to hoist”), Sicilian jisari (“to hoist”), all borrowed from a Germanic source.

This word in other languages

izar(Español)hisser(Français)hochziehen(Deutsch)içar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • hhoist
  • hiost
  • hoisst
  • hoistt
  • hoits
  • hosit
  • ohist

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of hoist - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

hhoist1hiost2hoisst1hoistt1hoits2hosit2ohist2
Edit distance from "hoist"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "hoist"?
"hoist" is spelled H-O-I-S-T. The IPA pronunciation is /hɔɪst/.
What does "hoist" mean?
As a verb, "hoist" means: To raise; to lift; to elevate (especially, to raise or lift to a desired elevation, by means of tackle or pulley, said of a sail, a flag, a heavy package or weight).
What words are commonly confused with "hoist"?
"hoist" is commonly confused with "hot", "hos", "host". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "hoist"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "hoist" is /hɔɪst/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "hoist"?
Alteration of earlier hoise (“to hoist”), apparently based on the past tense forms, from Middle Dutch hisen (“to hoist”). Compare modern Dutch hijsen (“to hoist”), German hissen (“to hoist”), Danish hejse (“to hoist”). Compare also French hisser (... See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "hoist", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

hives#24,782gunna#24,773groan#24,771laces#24,812

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

Hubble7 variantsgunned7 variantsjagged7 variantsGallup7 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list