International audienceThe magnetodielectric studies on hexagonal Ho1−xDyxMnO3 reveal an overall enhancement of magnetoelectric coupling upon Dy3+ substitution. However, the magnitude of the enhancement is varied with doping level x. Magnetodielectric response is larger for x = 0.1 and it started decreasing with further increase in x. We suggest that the specific site (C3V site) substitution of higher ionic radii Dy3+ in the structure could play a key role in defining magnetoelectric coupling strength through structural distortion. The evolution of c/a ratio which is a measure of distortion in the hexagonal lattice agrees well with the observed percentage change in the dielectric constant which in turn substantiates the role of lattice disto...