catfish

/ˈkætfɪʃ/

//ˈkætfɪʃ// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"catfish" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“catfish” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #18,266 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#18,266
frequency rank, English
7
letters
11
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Any fish of the order Siluriformes, mainly found in fresh water, lacking scales, and having barbels like whiskers around the mouth.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

catfish vs crayfish
75% similar
catfish vs crawfish
75% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for catfish
PropertyValue
Headwordcatfish
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkætfɪʃ/
Letters7
Frequency rank#18,266
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “catfish” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). catfish lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for catfish is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈkætfɪʃ/. Corpus data places it at rank #18,266 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for catfish, with forms such as "actfish", "caftish", and "catffish". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "crayfish", "crawfish", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From cat + fish. Likely so named for its prominent barbels like a cat's whiskers. Compare West Frisian katfisk (“catfish”), Dutch katvis (“catfish”). Compare also German Seekatze (“catfish”, literally “sea-cat”). The correct English form is catfish, spelled C-A-T-F-I-S-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any fish of the order Siluriformes, mainly found in fresh water, lacking scales, and having barbels like whiskers around the mouth.
  2. 2
    The meat of such a fish, popular in the Southern U.S. and Central Europe.

Etymology

From cat + fish. Likely so named for its prominent barbels like a cat's whiskers. Compare West Frisian katfisk (“catfish”), Dutch katvis (“catfish”). Compare also German Seekatze (“catfish”, literally “sea-cat”).

This word in other languages

bagre(Español)poisson-chat(Français)Wels(Deutsch)bagre(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: actfish,caftish,catffish,catfihs,catfishh,catfissh,catfsih,catifsh,cattfish,ccatfish,ctafish

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of catfish - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

actfish2caftish2catffish1catfihs2catfishh1catfissh1catfsih2catifsh2
Edit distance from "catfish"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "catfish"?
"catfish" is spelled C-A-T-F-I-S-H. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkætfɪʃ/.
What does "catfish" mean?
As a noun, "catfish" means: Any fish of the order Siluriformes, mainly found in fresh water, lacking scales, and having barbels like whiskers around the mouth.
What words are commonly confused with "catfish"?
"catfish" is commonly confused with "crayfish", "crawfish". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "catfish"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "catfish" is /ˈkætfɪʃ/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "catfish"?
From cat + fish. Likely so named for its prominent barbels like a cat's whiskers. Compare West Frisian katfisk (“catfish”), Dutch katvis (“catfish”). Compare also German Seekatze (“catfish”, literally “sea-cat”). See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “catfish”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is C-A-T-F-I-S-H - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈkætfɪʃ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “crayfish” - see the side-by-side comparison. catfish vs crayfish
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list