catchy
/ˈkæt͡ʃi/adjective
catchy is spelled C-A-T-C-H-Y: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 3.1 times per million words in written English, the 15,146th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, catchy means “Instantly appealing and memorable” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in catchy?
| Letters | 6: C-A-T-C-H-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 3.1 times per million words; the 15,146th 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 catchy?
Catchy appears 3.1 times per million words in written English, the 15,146th 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 catchy?
- /ˈkæt͡ʃi/
- /ˈkɛt͡ʃi/
Catchy 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-catchy.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of catchy
- catchier comparative
- catchiest superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does catchy mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Instantly appealing and memorable.
Eric wrote a catchy tune to play on his acoustic guitar while Alyssa plays the drums.
- 2
datedTending to catch or ensnare; entangling.
a catchy question
- 3
datedConsisting of, or occurring in, disconnected parts or snatches; changeable.
a catchy wind
- 4
Contagious; catching.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Catchy in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense instantly appealing and memorable:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | entraînant |
| German | einprägsam, griffig, packend, eingängig |
| Portuguese | memorável, contagiante, cativante |
| Spanish | pegadizo, pegajoso |
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 catchy come from?
From catch + -y.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).