To run WordPress your host just nee

To run WordPress your host just needs a couple of things:
PHP version 5.2.4 or greater
MySQL version 5.0 or greater
That’s really it. We recommend Apache or Nginx as the most robust and featureful server for running WordPress, but any server that supports PHP and MySQL will do. That said, we can’t test every possible environment and each of the hosts on our hosting page supports the above and more with no problems.

Ask for it
Here’s a letter you can send to your host; copy and paste!

I'm interested in running the open-source WordPress blogging software and I was wondering if my account supported the following:

PHP 5.2.4 or greater
MySQL 5.0 or greater
The mod_rewrite Apache module
Thanks!

Not required, but recommended for better security
Hosting is more secure when PHP applications, like WordPress, are run using your account’s username instead of the server’s default shared username. The most common way nowadays for hosting companies to do this is using suPHP. Just ask your potential host if they run suPHP or something similar.