Pretty vs. beautiful vs. hot...

Three words we often use to describe beauty -- and although we instinctively know when and where to use each, we have never thought about why.

Priya, a Nepalese young lady who moved to the US in 2009, asked me to explain the difference. It had never occured to me that someone from another continent might not understand when and where to use pretty, beautiful, or hot.

Now that I think of it, many english-speaking immigrants, whether from South Asia or South America, probably won’t know it either. The context is not very clear.

After a little research I came up with the following…

Pretty

Google defines Pretty as:

attractive in a delicate way without being truly beautiful or handsome.
"a pretty little girl with an endearing grin"
synonyms: attractive, lovely, good-looking, nice-looking, personable, fetching, prepossessing, appealing, charming, delightful, cute

Real Deal Explains Pretty

Pretty is what you would use to describe a little girl in a dress, a flower, or lite pink nail polish. It’s used to describe things that are pleasant and evoke feelings of happiness.

Despite Google’s definition, I wouldn’t agree that pretty can’t be “truly beautiful” as different levels of beauty can overlap. For example, pretty, or cute, can turn turn to hot sexy real fast.

It evokes a mildly pleasant feeling. Something endearing and delicate. That’s why you wouldn’t usually compliment a man by calling him pretty.

Pretty also doesn’t evoke much in the way of sexuality. The innocence surrounding the word makes it a light-hearted, harmless compliment appropriate for most social situations.

Beautiful

Google defines Beautiful as:

pleasing the senses or mind aesthetically.
"beautiful poetry"
synonyms: attractive, pretty, handsome, good-looking, alluring, prepossessing

Real Deal Explains Beautiful

Beautiful is a relatively strong word that describes a quality that is deeply revered and highly treasured.

Beautiful isn’t just limited to looks as virtually anything can be described as beautiful: a beautiful city, a beautiful forest, song, book, etc.

The main point is that beautiful conveys a deeper meaning. Given its underlying power, describing someone as beautiful can be a strong compliment or slightly discomforting depending on the person.

A bride is beautiful. The ceremony was beautiful.

The flower girl was pretty.

You would typically call a man handsome but beautiful is sometimes used.

Fun fact: the word beautiful has actually been declining in use for the past 150 years. It’s likely due to it’s more formal qualities which, like most formal things in life (e.g. formal speech and fashion), has declined over time.

Hot

Google defines Hot as:

lustful, amorous, or erotic.
"steamy bed scenes that may be too hot for young fans"
synonyms: aroused, sexually aroused, excited, stimulated, titillated, inflamed

Real Deal Explains Hot

Hot equals sex. It explains qualities that evoke a very sexual nature in a very aesthetic way. You can describe a man or a woman as being hot - and when you do - very specific images come to mind: youth, health, and more often than not, less clothing.

Unlike pretty or beautiful, hot mostly describes sexual people and situations.

My girlfriend looks hot this Saturday night, that shower scene was hot, that bikini/underwear model was the hottest I’ve ever seen, etc.

She looked hot in that swimsuit, she looked beautiful at her graduation, her pink nails were very pretty.

These days, say that someone is hot in the wrong setting can put you in the middle of a sexual harassment lawsuit. So if you’re not sure when to say it, don’t say it at all.

However, in some cases, because the word hot is so often used regardless of the context, it can be said in more casual settings without it feeling weird.

I’ve heard kids say it to their mom and there wasn’t anything weird or sexual about it. Just a simple compliment highlighting their mothers strong beauty.

And there you have it! Pretty vs. Beautiful vs. Hot. Case Closed.

Real Deal Linguistic Institute International