hostel

/ˈhɑstəl/

//ˈhɑstəl// noun

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

"hostel" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“hostel” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #16,493. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#16,493
frequency rank, English
2,646
“H” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
15
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A commercial overnight lodging place, with dormitory accommodation and shared facilities, especially a youth hostel.

Corpus desk

Index EN-hostel · hostel · English

hostel · rank #16,493 · 9 variants · 15 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #16,493
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 15 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,646
  • PHOTO-FINISH horrified

Nearest frequency peer: horrified (-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 “hostel”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “hostel” 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).

hostel vs hotel
83% similar
hostel vs hosts
67% similar
hostel vs hotter
67% similar

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

Key facts for hostel
PropertyValue
Headwordhostel
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈhɑstəl/
Letters6
Frequency rank#16,493
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs15
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “hostel”

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).hostellands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “horrified” (#16,492), “hound” (#16,494), “horrendous” (#16,491). Among 2,646 “H” headwords, “hostel” is #16,493. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around hostel (IPA /ˈhɑstəl/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #16,493 among 2,646 “H” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for hostel, with forms such as "hhostel", "hosetl", and "hosstel". 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 15 confusable-pair relationships, "hotel", "hosts", "hotter", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English hostel, from Old French hostel, ostel, from Late Latin hospitale (“hospice”), from Classical Latin hospitalis (“hospitable”) itself from hospes (“host”) + -alis (“-al”). Doublet of hotel and hospital. Not in use from late 17th c. (in the… The correct English form is hostel, spelled H-O-S-T-E-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    A commercial overnight lodging place, with dormitory accommodation and shared facilities, especially a youth hostel.
  2. 2
    A temporary refuge for the homeless providing a bed and sometimes food.
  3. 3
    A small, unendowed college in Oxford or Cambridge.
  4. 4
    A public hotel.
  5. 5
    A university or school dormitory, a place of accommodation for students.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. a rundown hostel
  2. The rest, around the hostel fire, / Their drowsy limbs recline; / For pillow, underneath each head, / The quiver and the targe were laid: / Deep slumbering on the hostel floor, / Oppressed with toil and ale, / they snore: […]

Etymology

From Middle English hostel, from Old French hostel, ostel, from Late Latin hospitale (“hospice”), from Classical Latin hospitalis (“hospitable”) itself from hospes (“host”) + -alis (“-al”). Doublet of hotel and hospital. Not in use from late 17th c. (in the usual sense from mid 16th c.) to 1808, when it was revived by Walter Scott in his poem Marmion (see the quotation).

This word in other languages

albergue(Español)auberge(Français)Herberge(Deutsch)estalagem(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • hhostel
  • hosetl
  • hosstel
  • hostell
  • hostle
  • hosttel
  • hotsel
  • hsotel
  • ohstel

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of hostel - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

hhostel1hosetl2hosstel1hostell1hostle2hosttel1hotsel2hsotel2
Edit distance from "hostel"

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 "hostel"?
"hostel" is spelled H-O-S-T-E-L. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈhɑstəl/.
What does "hostel" mean?
As a noun, "hostel" means: A commercial overnight lodging place, with dormitory accommodation and shared facilities, especially a youth hostel.
What words are commonly confused with "hostel"?
"hostel" is commonly confused with "hotel", "hosts", "hotter". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "hostel"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "hostel" is /ˈhɑstəl/. 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 "hostel"?
From Middle English hostel, from Old French hostel, ostel, from Late Latin hospitale (“hospice”), from Classical Latin hospitalis (“hospitable”) itself from hospes (“host”) + -alis (“-al”). Doublet of hotel and hospital. Not in use from late 17th ... 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 "hostel", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

hugged#16,496Hobart#16,488glossy#16,480Kosovo#16,509

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

karaoke9 variantsDustin9 variantscreamy9 variantsOswald9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list