hostel
/ˈhɑstəl/
noun
Familiar
1.n.a hotel providing overnight lodging for travelers
2.n.inexpensive supervised lodging (especially for youths on bicycling trips)
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hostel and hostile are homophones: they are pronounced identically and spelled differently, which is why they are so often swapped. hostel means “a hotel providing overnight lodging for travelers”. hostile means “characterized by enmity or ill will”. hostile is the more common of the two in everyday English.
/ˈhɑstəl/
1.n.a hotel providing overnight lodging for travelers
2.n.inexpensive supervised lodging (especially for youths on bicycling trips)
/ˈhɑstəl/
| hostel | hostile | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ˈhɑstəl/ | /ˈhɑstəl/ |
| Said | HAH-stuhl | HAH-stuhl |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Letters | 6 | 7 |
| Parts of speech | noun | adjective, noun |
| Senses | 2 | 6 |
| How common | Familiar | Common |
| Synonyms | hostelry, inn, lodge | none recorded |
Full entry for hostel · Full entry for hostile · More comparisons
1.adj.characterized by enmity or ill will
“a hostile nation”
2.adj.not belonging to your own country's forces or those of an ally
“hostile naval and air forces”
3.adj.impossible to bring into friendly accord
“hostile factions”