hostile

/ˈhɒstaɪl/

//ˈhɒstaɪl// adj

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

"hostile" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“hostile” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #6,365. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#6,365
frequency rank, English
2,646
“H” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
7
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Not friendly; appropriate to an enemy; showing the disposition of an enemy; showing ill will and malevolence or a desire to thwart and injure.

Corpus desk

Index EN-hostile · hostile · English

hostile · rank #6,365 · 10 variants · 7 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #6,365
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 7 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,646
  • PHOTO-FINISH horizon

Nearest frequency peer: horizon (-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 “hostile”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “hostile” 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).

hostile vs hustle
71% similar
hostile vs hottie
71% similar
hostile vs hosting
71% similar

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

Key facts for hostile
PropertyValue
Headwordhostile
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈhɒstaɪl/
Letters7
Frequency rank#6,365
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs7
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “hostile”

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).hostilelands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “horizon” (#6,364), “imagined” (#6,366), “hint” (#6,363). Among 2,646 “H” headwords, “hostile” is #6,365. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around hostile (IPA /ˈhɒstaɪl/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #6,365 among 2,646 “H” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for hostile, with forms such as "hhostile", "hositle", and "hosstile". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 7 confusable-pair relationships, "hustle", "hottie", "hosting", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Middle French hostile, from Latin hostīlis, from hostis (“enemy”). Displaced Old English fēondlīċ. The correct English form is hostile, spelled H-O-S-T-I-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Not friendly; appropriate to an enemy; showing the disposition of an enemy; showing ill will and malevolence or a desire to thwart and injure.
  2. 2
    Aggressive; antagonistic.
  3. 3
    Unwilling.
  4. 4
    Being or relating to a hostile takeover.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. a hostile force
  2. hostile intentions

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French hostile, from Latin hostīlis, from hostis (“enemy”). Displaced Old English fēondlīċ.

Synonyms

antagonistichatefuladverseconflictingcontentiouscounteractinghostileincompatibleinharmoniousinimicalirreconcilableopposedrepugnantunbefriendingunfriendlyunharmoniousunpartial

Antonyms

friendlycooperativehelpful

This word in other languages

hostil(Español)hostile(Français)feindlich(Deutsch)hostil(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • hhostile
  • hositle
  • hosstile
  • hostiel
  • hostille
  • hostlie
  • hosttile
  • hotsile
  • hsotile
  • ohstile

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of hostile - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

hhostile1hositle2hosstile1hostiel2hostille1hostlie2hosttile1hotsile2
Edit distance from "hostile"

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 "hostile"?
"hostile" is spelled H-O-S-T-I-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈhɒstaɪl/.
What does "hostile" mean?
As an adjective, "hostile" means: Not friendly; appropriate to an enemy; showing the disposition of an enemy; showing ill will and malevolence or a desire to thwart and injure.
What words are commonly confused with "hostile"?
"hostile" is commonly confused with "hustle", "hottie", "hosting". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "hostile"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "hostile" is /ˈhɒstaɪl/. 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 "hostile"?
Borrowed from Middle French hostile, from Latin hostīlis, from hostis (“enemy”). Displaced Old English fēondlīċ. 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 "hostile", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

horizon#6,364grabbed#6,361forests#6,358ethical#6,355

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

optical10 variantsquantum10 variantsrainbow10 variantsshorts10 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list