catch up
/ˈkæt͡ʃ.ʌp/verb, noun
catch up is spelled C-A-T-C-H-U-P: 7 letters and 2 syllables. People search “catch-up vs catchup” about 390 times a month (Google, United States). As a verb, catch up means “To pick up suddenly” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in catch up?
| Letters | 7: C-A-T-C-H-U-P |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its pronunciation) |
| In writing | a phrase: the frequency list counts single words |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Pairs people search | |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How do you pronounce catch up?
- US /ˈkæt͡ʃ.ʌp/
- US /ˈkɛt͡ʃ.ʌp/
- Australia /ˈkæt͡ʃ.ɐp/
Catch up has 2 syllables (counted from the pronunciation).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-catch_up.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Persent101-catch-up.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with catch up
Word pairs people search, with the monthly searches for “a vs b” (G: Google, B: Bing, United States).
Also written: catchup (one word or two).
Sources: Google and Bing searches (September 2025 to August 2026, through DataForSEO); English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with catch up?
One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as catch up from its last stressed vowel (/ætʃʌp/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of catch up
- catches up present, singular, he/she/it
- catching up participle, present
- caught up participle, past
- catch-up
- catch ups plural
- catch-ups plural
- catchup
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does catch up mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To pick up suddenly.
- 2
To entangle (something).
The speaker wires have got caught up with the wires from the lights.
- 3
To involve in (something); to embroil.
That's why she got caught up in addiction.
- 4
To be brought up to date with news.
I hadn't seen her for so long. It was great to catch up.
- 5
To bring (someone) up to date with the news.
After Alice's vacation, her boss caught her up on policy changes.
- 6
To reach something that had been ahead.
Rose was three seconds behind, but managed to catch up with the race leader and eventually won.
- 7
To compensate for or make up a deficiency.
After a slow start, they've been catching up lately.
- 8
To finally overtake (someone or something) after a long period of approaching (them or it).
His years of drinking were catching up with him.
noun
- 1
An act of catching up or attempting to catch up.
- 2
An amount, a thing, or a receipt or repetition of information that enables one to catch up.
noun
- 1
Alternative spelling of catch-up.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Catch up in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| Spanish | enredar , enterarse, ponerse al día, ponerse al corriente, ponerse al tanto de , poner al día |
| French | prendre des nouvelles , atteindre, rattraper |
| German | aufholen , einholen |
| Portuguese | alcançar, recuperar o atraso |
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 catch up come from?
Deverbal from catch up.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).