# hostess

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈhoʊstɪs/ · frequency rank #18,338

## Definitions
1. A female host.
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.

## Etymology
From Middle English hostesse, from Middle French hostesse, from Old French ostesce, made up of oste (“host”) + -esce (“feminine marker”).

## Easily confused with
- **hosts** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hostess-vs-hosts)
- **hottest** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hostess-vs-hottest)
- **hotness** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hostess-vs-hotness)
- **hoses** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hoses-vs-hostess)
- **hosted** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hosted-vs-hostess)
- **hostel** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hostel-vs-hostess)
- **hooters** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hooters-vs-hostess)

## Common misspellings (9)
`hhostess`, `hosetss`, `hosstess`, `hostes`, `hostses`, `hosttess`, `hotsess`, `hsotess`, `ohstess`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/hostess