One syllable: hosts.
/hoʊsts/
Say it backHosts is the plural noun or third-person singular verb form of host, meaning people who entertain guests or one who serves as a host. In everyday use, it can denote a group of people hosting an event or the act of hosting itself. The pronunciation remains stable across meanings, with a short /ɒ/ or /ɑː/ vowel in stressed syllables and a final /ts/ cluster. Context drives meaning more than pronunciation.
"The hosts welcomed guests to the wedding with warm smiles."
"The TV show hosts announced a commercial break."
"She hosts a weekly podcast about science and curiosity."
Pronounce as /hoʊsts/ in US English, with a long /oʊ/ diphthong in the first syllable and a crisp /t/ before the final /s/. The stress falls on the single syllable when used as a verb, and on the first syllable in plural noun form: /hoʊsts/. For UK and AU variants, you may hear /həʊsts/ or /hoːsts/ with a slightly shorter /oʊ/ or /əʊ/ and a clear /t/ before /s/. Mouth position: start with rounded lips for /oʊ/, tongue high-mid for /h/ and /oʊ/, tip of the tongue lightly touching the alveolar ridge before releasing into /t/ and finally /s/. Audio reference: listen to native speakers on Pronounce, Cambridge online dictionaries, or Forvo for “hosts.”
Common mistakes include substituting /h/ with a glottal stop or dropping the final /s/ to /t/ (pronouncing /hoʊst/). Another error is mispronouncing the /oʊ/ as a short /ɒ/ or /ɑ/ and failing to release the /t/ before /s/, producing /hoʊs/ or /hoʊst/ without the final hiss. To correct: keep the /t/ fully released into /s/, practice the /oʊ/ diphthong distinctly, and ensure the tip of the tongue lightly taps the alveolar ridge for /t/ before rapidly transitioning to /s/.
In US English, /hoʊsts/ with a full /oʊ/ diphthong and rhotic r-lessness in the following vowel context is standard. UK English tends toward /həʊsts/ with a flatter /əʊ/ and crisper /t/ release. Australian English often features a rounded /oʊ/ or /əʊ/ and a less released /t/ before /s/, which can sound softer. Across accents, the main variations are vowel length and the exact quality of /o/ and /ɒ/ in some speakers, plus the presence or absence of /r/ coloring when in connected speech. IPA guidance: US /hoʊsts/, UK /həʊsts/, AU /hōsts/ or /həʊsts/.
The difficulty lies in the final /ts/ cluster, which requires a precise, rapid transition from the /t/ to the /s/ without a vowel between, something non-native speakers often mispronounce as /t/ or /s/ alone. The /oʊ/ or /əʊ/ diphthong can also be challenging if your native language has a monophthong or different vowel quality. Additionally, the linking of the final /t/ into /s/ in fluent speech can blur the boundary when speech is fast. Pay attention to the tongue tip placement and release timing to master /ts/.
Focus on the transition from the vowel to the /t/ and then to /s/. Ensure the tongue tip lightly taps the alveolar ridge for /t/ and immediately releases into the voiceless /s/. Keep the /oʊ/ (US) or /əʊ/ (UK/AU) diphthong clean, avoiding an abrupt stop. In careful speech, you can insert a very brief vowel before /t/ for clarity in fast phrases, but in natural speech aim for a quick, crisp /t/ release into /s/.
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The word hosts derives from Old French hosts, which itself comes from Latin hospes, meaning guest, host, or host/guest relation, with the sense of a person who entertains or receives guests. The Latin hospes carried dual meaning: host and guest, rooted in homely hospitality. In early Middle English, host could denote both entertainers and soldiers, reflecting the shared concept of a leader or person who receives others. The plural hosts and the verb hosts (to host) emerged in Middle English and Early Modern English, aligning with the broader semantic field of hospitality and organization. The modern sense of a person or group who welcomes guests, or to organize and provide entertainment, became standardized by the 16th–18th centuries as social and event hosting grew more formal. Contemporary usage preserves the original hospitality sense, while the verb form emphasizes the action of arranging and presenting events. First known written uses appear in medieval English travel and courtly documents where hosts were responsible for lodging and entertaining travelers, gradually widening to modern media and events where hosts guide, anchor, or present.
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Words that rhyme with "hosts"
-ats sounds
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