catkin
noun
catkin is spelled C-A-T-K-I-N: 6 letters. It appears about once in every 26 million words in written English, the 154,067th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, catkin means “A type of inflorescence, consisting of an axis with many unisexual apetalous flowers along its sides, as in the willow and poplar” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of catkin is catkins.
How many letters and syllables are in catkin?
| Letters | 6: C-A-T-K-I-N |
|---|---|
| In writing | about once in every 26 million words; the 154,067th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is catkin?
Catkin appears about once in every 26 million words in written English, the 154,067th 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 catkin?
- US
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Flame,_not_lame-catkin.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with catkin?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as catkin.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: natick.
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 catkin
- catkins plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does catkin mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A type of inflorescence, consisting of an axis with many unisexual apetalous flowers along its sides, as in the willow and poplar.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Catkin in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense botany: a type of inflorescence:
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 catkin come from?
From Middle Dutch katteken (“catkin”, literally “little cat”). So named due to the resemblance of lengthier kinds to a kitten's tail, or, perhaps more probably, the fine fur found on some catkins (compare the pictures). Cognate with German Kätzchen, modern Dutch katje; compare French chaton (“kitten”; “catkin”). By surface analysis, cat + -kin.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).