catcall
/ˈkætkɔl/noun, verb
catcall is spelled C-A-T-C-A-L-L: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 14 million words in written English, the 114,361st most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, catcall means “A shout or whistle expressing dislike, especially from a crowd or audience; a jeer, a boo” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of catcall is catcalls.
How many letters and syllables are in catcall?
| Letters | 7: C-A-T-C-A-L-L |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 14 million words; the 114,361st most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is catcall?
Catcall appears about once in every 14 million words in written English, the 114,361st most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce catcall?
- US /ˈkætkɔl/
Catcall has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-catcall.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of catcall
- catcalls plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- catcalling participle, present
- catcalled participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does catcall mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A shout or whistle expressing dislike, especially from a crowd or audience; a jeer, a boo.
- 2
A shout, whistle, or comment of a harassingly sexual nature, usually made toward a passing woman, causing distress and trauma.
- 3
A whistle blown by a theatre-goer to express disapproval.
- 4
In the Eiffel programming language, a run-time error caused by use of the wrong data type.
verb
- 1
To make such an exclamation.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Catcall in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | Buhruf, Schmähruf, Pfiff, Auspfeifen, Ausbuhen , Hinterherpfeifen |
| Portuguese | apupo (boo), assobiadela, vaia , piropo |
| Spanish | rechifla, abucheo , piropo , rechiflar, abuchear, piropear |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does catcall come from?
First attested in the mid-17th c., from the resemblance to cats' nocturnal cries. From cat + call.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).