crotchet
/ˈkɹɑt͡ʃ.ɪt/noun
crotchet is spelled C-R-O-T-C-H-E-T: 8 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 22 million words in written English, the 141,699th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, crotchet means “A musical note one beat long in 4/4 time” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of crotchet is crotchets.
How many letters and syllables are in crotchet?
| Letters | 8: C-R-O-T-C-H-E-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 22 million words; the 141,699th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
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).
How common is crotchet?
Crotchet appears about once in every 22 million words in written English, the 141,699th 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 crotchet?
- US /ˈkɹɑt͡ʃ.ɪt/
- UK /ˈkɹɒtʃ.ɪt/
Crotchet 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-crotchet.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of crotchet
- crotchets plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- crotcheting participle, present
- crotcheted participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does crotchet mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A musical note one beat long in 4/4 time.
- 2
obsoleteA sharp curve or crook; a shape resembling a hook
- 3
A hook-shaped instrument, especially as used in obstetric surgery.
- 4
archaicA whim or a fancy.
- 5
A forked support; a crotch.
- 6
An indentation in the glacis of the covered way, at a point where a traverse is placed.
- 7
The arrangement of a body of troops, either forward or rearward, so as to form a line nearly perpendicular to the general line of battle.
- 8
A square bracket.
verb
- 1
obsoleteto play music in measured time
- 2
archaicArchaic form of crochet (“knit by looping”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Crotchet in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense musical note:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | noire |
| German | Viertelnote |
| Portuguese | semínima |
| Spanish | negra |
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 crotchet come from?
From Middle English crochet, from Old French crochet (“small hook”), from croc + -et (diminutive suffix), from Old Norse krókr (“hook”). The musical note was named so because of a small hook on its stem in black notation (in modern notation this hook is on the quaver/eighth note). Doublet of crochet, crocket, and croquet.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).