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Why "hostile" sounds different in British English
British English says /ˈhɒstaɪl/, with a full /aɪ/ diphthong in the second syllable, so the end of the word sounds like "tile". The first syllable has the short, rounded /ɒ/ of "hot".
American English usually reduces the ending to /ˈhɑːstəl/, a weak "uhl", and uses the open "ah" vowel at the start. The same split runs through a whole family of words: fertile, futile, fragile, docile, sterile, versatile and missile all end in "-ile" pronounced "ile" in standard British English and usually "-uhl" in American English. Learn the pattern once and you can apply it across the group. The stress stays on the first syllable in both accents.
How to say "hostile" like a Brit, step by step
- Stress the first syllable with a short, rounded hos, as in "hospital".
- Say a clear t to start the second syllable.
- Give the ending a full ile, rhyming with "mile". Don't reduce it.
- Put it together: HOS-tile.
Practise "hostile" in a sentence
- The crowd turned hostile when the match was abandoned.
- The company fought off a hostile takeover bid.
- He's been quite hostile towards the new manager.
Saying it once correctly is easy. Saying it right in the middle of a fast sentence is the hard part, which is why the sentences above matter more than the single word.
Frequently asked questions
How do you pronounce hostile in a British accent?
In Received Pronunciation, hostile is pronounced /ˈhɒstaɪl/, roughly "HOS-tile". The ending rhymes with "mile", and the O is short as in "hot".
Is the American pronunciation of hostile wrong?
No. /ˈhɑːstəl/ is standard in American English. Both are correct, they simply belong to different accents. If you are learning a British accent, aim for /ˈhɒstaɪl/.