hostess
host·ess/ˈhoʊstɪs/noun, verb
hostess is spelled H-O-S-T-E-S-S: 7 letters and 2 syllables (host·ess). It appears 2.2 times per million words in written English, the 18,297th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, hostess means “A female host” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of hostess is hostesses.
How many letters and syllables are in hostess?
| Letters | 7: H-O-S-T-E-S-S |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: host·ess |
| In writing | 2.2 times per million words; the 18,297th 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 hostess?
Hostess appears 2.2 times per million words in written English, the 18,297th 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 hostess?
- US /ˈhoʊstɪs/
- UK /ˈhəʊstəs/
Hostess has 2 syllables, split host·ess in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-hostess.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of hostess
- hostesses plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- hostessing participle, present
- hostessed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does hostess mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A female host.
The host and hostess greeted their guests at the door.
- 2
A female innkeeper.
- 3
Stewardess: a woman steward on an airplane.
- 4
A bar hostess or bargirl; a paid female companion offering conversation and in some cases sex.
- 5
A female prostitute.
verb
- 1
To host, as a woman.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Hostess in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | hôtesse, maîtresse de maison , hôtesse de l'air, agente de bord, stewardess |
| German | Gastgeberin, Wirtin , Stewardess, Stewardeß, Flugbegleiterin |
| Portuguese | anfitriã, anfitrioa , aeromoça, comissária de bordo, comissária de voo |
| Spanish | anfitriona , azafata, aeromoza |
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 hostess come from?
From Middle English hostesse, from Middle French hostesse, from Old French ostesce, made up of oste (“host”) + -esce (“feminine marker”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).