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PlainSpell

host

/hoʊst/noun, verb

host is spelled H-O-S-T: 4 letters and one syllable. It appears 59 times per million words in written English, the 1,758th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, host means “One which receives or entertains a guest, socially, commercially, or officially” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of host is hosts.

How many letters and syllables are in host?

Letters4: H-O-S-T
Syllables1 (from its American pronunciation)
In writing59 times per million words; the 1,758th most frequent word form
Wrong spellings searchednone measured in search
Rhymes with
Same letters

Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.

How common is host?

Host appears 59 times per million words in written English, the 1,758th 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 host?

  • UK /həʊst/
  • US /hoʊst/

Host has one syllable (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Naomi_Persephone_Amethyst_(NaomiAmethyst)-host.wav, En-us-host.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

What rhymes with host?

10 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as host from its last stressed vowel (/oʊst/):

Spelled with the same letters in another order: shot, tosh, hots.

Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).

Forms of host

  • hosts plural, present, singular, he/she/it
  • hosting participle, present
  • hosted participle, past

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What does host mean?

The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).

noun

  1. 1

    One which receives or entertains a guest, socially, commercially, or officially.

    A good host is always considerate of the guest’s needs.

  2. 2

    One that provides a facility for an event.

  3. 3

    A person or organization responsible for running an event.

    Our company is host of the annual conference this year.

  4. 4

    A moderator or master of ceremonies for a performance.

    The host was terrible, but the acts themselves were good.

  5. 5

    The primary member of a system, typically the member who fronts most often.

  6. 6

    Any computer attached to a network.

  7. 7

    A cell or organism which harbors another organism or biological entity, usually a parasite.

    Viruses depend on the host that they infect in order to be able to reproduce.

  8. 8

    An organism bearing certain genetic material, with respect to its cells.

    The so-called junk DNA is known, so far, to provide no apparent benefit to its host.

  9. 9

    A multitude of people arrayed as an army; used also in religious senses, as: Heavenly host (of angels)

  10. 10

    A large number of items; a large inventory.

    The dealer stocks a host of parts for my Model A.

  11. 11

    The consecrated bread of the Eucharist.

verb

  1. 1

    To perform the role of a host.

    Our company will host the annual conference this year.

  2. 2

    obsoleteTo lodge at an inn.

  3. 3

    To run software made available to a remote user or process.

    Kremvax hosts a variety of services.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

Host in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

LanguageWords
Frenchhôte, maître de maison, amphitryon (person who receives or entertains a guest), organisateur, animateur (person or organisation responsible for running…), recevoir (perform the role of a host)
GermanGastgeber, Bewirter, Wirt (person who receives or entertains a guest), Veranstalter, Organisator (person or organisation responsible for running…), Gastgeber sein (perform the role of a host)
Portugueseanfitrião, hospedeiro (person who receives or entertains a guest), organizador, realizador (person or organisation responsible for running…), mediador, apresentador (moderator)
Spanishanfitrión, hospedador, hospedero, hospedante (person who receives or entertains a guest), anfitriona (person or organisation responsible for running…), hospedar (perform the role of a host)

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 host come from?

From Middle English hoste, from Old French oste (French: hôte), from Latin hospitem, accusative of hospes (“a host, also a sojourner, visitor, guest; hence, a foreigner, a stranger”), from *hostipotis, an old compound of hostis and the root of potis, from Proto-Indo-European *gʰóstipotis (“master of guests”), from *gʰóstis (“stranger, guest, enemy”) and *pótis (“owner, master, host, husband”).

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What to look up after host