How to pronounce "hostiles" in English
HO·sti·les
Primary stress: ho
Hear native speakers say hostiles in context across real video clips
Linguistic Pronunciation Masterclass: “hostiles”
Phonetic mechanics, syllable architecture, and conversational cadence
Syllable Architecture & Stress Distribution
HO
Elevated pitch, sustained vowel length, and full acoustic clarity.
sti
Reduced vowel sound, relaxed jaw, and minimal vocal effort.
les
Reduced vowel sound, relaxed jaw, and minimal vocal effort.
Primary emphasis falls on the first syllable ("HO"). Raise your pitch and sustain the vowel length on this syllable while relaxing the surrounding syllables.
Common Pronunciation Traps & Learner Mistakes
The Trap: Avoid pronouncing every vowel with full acoustic weight. Non-native speakers often over-enunciate unstressed vowels.
How Native Speakers Say It: Only give full vowel clarity to the primary stressed syllable. Relax all unstressed vowels into a neutral, low-energy schwa (⁄ə⁄).
Connected Speech & Natural Conversational Flow
When "hostiles" is followed by a word starting with a vowel, glide the final consonant into the opening vowel (e.g. "hostiles is" sounds like "hostiles-iz").
Maintain the stress-timed rhythm of English: compress unstressed syllables rapidly so the beat of "hostiles" aligns naturally with adjacent words.
Authentic Spoken Quotes from Native Video Context
“hostiles yeah this is Raccoon City all over”— WIREDWatch clip
“burning down but he said it in such a calm way i didn't believe him i said what are you talking about the hostiles burning down”— TEDx TalksWatch clip
“We're absolutely worried about the uh potential hostiles uh on the ground there in Libya affecting the situation.”— Smithsonian ChannelWatch clip
“homeless people avoid hostiles Stefan kak runs a shelter and confirms that alcohol is strictly prohibited in his establishment”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
“Fourth: relations with hostiles.”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
“that depends let's take the time when Asylum Seekers hostiles were being burned down in”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
Practice Speaking “hostiles”
Listen to native pronunciation, record yourself repeating the sentence into your microphone, and receive real-time word-by-word accuracy scoring.
hostiles yeah this is Raccoon City all over
Hear it in context: “hostiles”
25 clipsThe English word “hostiles”. Phonologically, it consists of 3 syllables (ho · sti · les), with primary lexical stress placed on the 1st (initial) syllable (ho). Grammatically, “hostiles” functions as a adjective, noun. SayItVid indexes 25 authentic English video clips demonstrating how native speakers articulate “hostiles” in natural connected speech across American (US: 8 sampled), British (UK), and Australian (AUS) accents, including verified broadcasts from WIRED, TEDx Talks, Smithsonian Channel.
Spoken Video Transcripts & Contextual Quotes (5 Verified Clips)
- 🇺🇸 USWIREDClip #1 · @5:33
“infected with the virus that rounds out to about 70,000 hostiles yeah this is Raccoon City all over again you want to tell me what's in there it's better if I show”
- 🇺🇸 USTEDx TalksClip #2 · @7:46
“and it was a hostile guest named edwin and he broke the news of the hostile burning down but he said it in such a calm way i didn't believe him i said what are you talking about the hostiles burning down didn't believe him i said what are you talking about the hostiles burning down”
- 🇺🇸 USSmithsonian ChannelClip #3 · @1:09
“threat picture so to speak. Even with the location of the F-15 pilot known, it's a race against the clock. We're absolutely worried about the uh potential hostiles uh on the ground there in Libya affecting the situation. potential hostiles uh on the ground there in Libya affecting the situation.”
- 🇺🇸 USClip #4 · @2:19
“getting in a fight and going to prison this is the main reason why many homeless people avoid hostiles Stefan kak runs a shelter and confirms that alcohol is strictly prohibited in his establishment alcohol is strictly prohibited in his establishment”
- 🇺🇸 USClip #5 · @6:34
“which makes Montana vulnerable to the rest of the United States. Fourth: relations with hostiles. Montanans have the same problems as do all Americans, in being sensitive to problems as do all Americans, in being sensitive to problems”
Definition & Meaning: “hostiles”
- Not friendly; appropriate to an enemy; showing the disposition of an enemy; showing ill will and malevolence or a desire to thwart and injure.
- Aggressive; antagonistic.
- An enemy.
Example Sentences (3)
- “a hostile force”
- “The Japanese got their attack in first. About ten minutes after passing the U.S. aircraft, they spotted Hornet (local weather patterns temporarily concealing Enterprise). Things had improved a little bit compared to the Eastern Solomons, and three dozen F4F Wildcats on combat air patrol were vectored onto the oncoming hostiles, but once that initial task was accomplished, things began to collapse back into the cacophony and chaos that was all too familiar to those aboard the Enterprise, meaning that the end result was round about the same[…]”
- “hostiles yeah this is Raccoon City all over”
Common Phrases & Collocations
Pronounce: “hostiles”
- Syllables:
- ho · sti · les
- Primary stress:
- ho
- Hear it in context
- hostiles
Synonyms: “hostiles”
Hear words related in meaning to “hostiles” in real video clips:
Words that Sound Identical (Homophones)
Unique Sound"hostiles" has no true homophones in standard English — there are no other words with identical pronunciation. Unlike sound-alike pairs like there / their or peace / piece, "hostiles" has a completely distinct phonetic identity.
Frequently asked questions about hostiles
How many syllables are in “hostiles”?
“hostiles” has 3 syllables: ho · sti · les.
Where is the stress in “hostiles”?
The primary stress in “hostiles” is on “HO”. Listen for that stressed syllable in the clips above.
What does “hostiles” mean?
Not friendly; appropriate to an enemy; showing the disposition of an enemy; showing ill will and malevolence or a desire to thwart and injure.
How can I hear “hostiles” used in real sentences?
This page has 25 real-world video examples of “hostiles” with synchronized subtitles. Use Previous / Next (or ← / → keys) to hear each one at the exact moment it is spoken.
What is the most common pronunciation mistake when saying “hostiles”?
Avoid pronouncing every vowel with full acoustic weight. Non-native speakers often over-enunciate unstressed vowels. Only give full vowel clarity to the primary stressed syllable. Relax all unstressed vowels into a neutral, low-energy schwa (⁄ə⁄).