Those who say English has too many words for the same thing just don't have an appreciation for the subtle differences between terms. We describe one another with a variety of words that indicate attraction, or at least perceived attractiveness, and though they may be used as off-hand comments, I would like to argue that there are meaningful, substantive differences between the terms Cute, Pretty, Sexy and Hot.

I have measured each of these terms by two simple metrics. First, there is Natural vs. Intentional, whether or not a given quality is being pursued on purpose. Then there is Sexual vs. Personal, whether or not a given quality has specifically sexual attraction at its core. So, without further ado:

Cute

"Cute" can be classified as Intentional Personal. Cuteness is the hardest of the four words to define outright. It's a combination of appearance and behavior. Someone who is cute, or someone who is being described as cute, is endearing without being threatening, or for that matter powerful. The point of being cute isn't to elicit sexual attraction but to be wanted in a more general sense. Not everybody can pull off cute, nor should everybody want to. Inherent to cuteness is a lack of control, a passiveness that allows others to decide where the interaction goes.

Pretty

"Pretty" is Natural Personal. It is the most inborn of the four terms. One cannot fake being pretty or choose to be pretty. One simply is or is not pretty. Prettiness is also not inherently sexual. For example, it can be considered a good thing to be pretty while dressed for work at a traditional office setting. Being pretty is passive but not submissive, attractive but still respectable. Most importantly, prettiness carries over to every other state of being. One can be pretty at the same time as being sexual, intellectual, emotional or entirely serious.

Hot

"Hot" is Intentional Sexual. Those who are hot know they're hot and carefully planned exactly how to be hot. Hotness is all about power. There are plenty of attractive people in the world who aren't at all hot. The point of hotness isn't simply attraction, but a monopoly of attention. It's not just designed to draw the eye to one place, it's designed to keep those same eyes away from everywhere else. Hotness calls attention to overtly sexual zones of the body. It is exaggeration and confidence.

Sexy

I saved "Sexy" for last because it is the most inexplicable of the four. It is Natural Sexual and certainly the most subjective of the terms. Though many try, one cannot choose to be sexy any more than one can choose to be talented. One can cultivate sexiness, practice at it, but never be certain of it. To be sexy is to be unambiguously an object of sexual desire for another. It has nothing to do with power and it need have no connection to hotness, prettiness or cuteness. We've all seen plenty of hot people behaving in truly unsexy ways. The reassuring thing about sexiness is that we're all capable of being sexy. It's just a matter of finding the right person for whom to be sexy, or finding the right circumstances under which to perceive ourselves as sexy.