Learn Hardcore Russian: Хоть пунктуация и кажется мелочью, без неё текст читается хуже. - Although punctuation seems like a small thing, without it a text is harder to read.

Breakdown of Хоть пунктуация и кажется мелочью, без неё текст читается хуже.

What does хоть mean here?

Here хоть means although / even if / while it may be true that.

In this sentence, хоть ... и ... introduces a contrast:

Хоть пунктуация и кажется мелочью...
= Although punctuation seems like a small thing...

So this is not the хоть meaning at least or even by itself. It is part of a concessive pattern: хоть X и Y = although X, Y.

Why is there an и in Хоть пунктуация и кажется мелочью?

This и is part of the fixed concessive pattern хоть ... и ....

It does not mean the normal and here. Instead, it helps form the meaning although / even though:

These are very close in meaning.

You will often see this structure:

Хоть он и устал, он продолжал работать.
Although he was tired, he kept working.

So in your sentence, и is not being translated separately; it is just part of the pattern.

Is хоть ... и ... the same as хотя?