catnip
/ˈkætnɪp/noun
catnip is spelled C-A-T-N-I-P: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 42,680th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, catnip means “Any of the about 250 species of flowering plant of the genus Nepeta, family Lamiaceae, certain of which are said to have medicinal qualities” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of catnip is catnips.
How many letters and syllables are in catnip?
| Letters | 6: C-A-T-N-I-P |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 42,680th 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 and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; 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 catnip?
Catnip appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 42,680th 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 catnip?
- /ˈkætnɪp/
Catnip 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)-Naomi_Persephone_Amethyst_(NaomiAmethyst)-catnip.wav, En-us-catnip.oga, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with catnip
Also written: cat-nip (one word or two).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with catnip?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as catnip.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: pancit.
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 catnip
- catnips plural
- cat nip
- cat-nip
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does catnip mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Any of the about 250 species of flowering plant of the genus Nepeta, family Lamiaceae, certain of which are said to have medicinal qualities.
- 2
Nepeta cataria and Nepeta grandiflora (and perhaps other species), which are well-known for causing an apparently harmless pheromone-based intoxication among certain cats.
Some cats go bonkers over catnip; others ignore it.
- 3
Something that causes excitement or interest.
Near-synonym: crack
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Catnip in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | Katzenminze , Echte Katzenminze , Unwiderstehlichkeit, gefundenes Fressen, Zugpferd |
| Portuguese | erva-de-gato, nêbeda |
| Spanish | menta de gato, nébeda, hierba gatera , menta gatuna, albahaca de gatos |
| French | cataire, chataire, herbe à chat, herbe aux chats |
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 catnip come from?
Compound of cat + nep, nip (“catnip”), from Middle English nep, from Old English nepte, from Proto-West Germanic *nepetā, from Latin nepeta (“catnip”). Compare earlier catmint (“catnip”), from Middle English catt mynte, which very likely existed in Old English (as *cattes minte) as well.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).