The tolerance of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Pachysolen tannophilus to inhibitors including furfural, 5-hydroxymethyl furfural and levulinic acid in diluted acid hydrolysis from rape straw was investigated. S. cerevisiae was capable of tolerating 2 g/L furfural, 2 g/L 5-hydroxymethyl furfural and 8 g/L levulinic acid in glucose broth. However, ethanol production by P. tannophilus was strongly inhibited in xylose broth added with 2 g/L furfural, 2 g/L 5-hydroxymethyl furfural and 8 g/L levulinic acid, respectively. In glucose broth containing 2 g/L furfural, the ethanol yields of S. cerevisiae and P. tannophilus were respectively 85.05% and 46.70% compared with those of the control, while in xylose broth added with 2 g/L furfural, the ethanol yield of P. tannophilus was 12.40% compared with that of the control. Enzymatic hydrolysis of rape straw could effectively relieve the inhibition of 2g/L furfural on both the S. cerevisiae and P. tannophilus, whose ethanol yields were respectively 98.40% and 91.00% compared with those of the control. The results showed that the tolerance capacity of S. cerevisiae on fermentation inhibitors including furfural, 5-hydroxymethyl furfural and levulinic acid was stronger than that of P. tannophilus. 