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hitch

/hɪt͡ʃ/noun, verb

hitch is spelled H-I-T-C-H: 5 letters and one syllable. It appears 2.6 times per million words in written English, the 16,687th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, hitch means “A sudden pull” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of hitch is hitches.

How many letters and syllables are in hitch?

Letters5: H-I-T-C-H
Syllables1 (from its American pronunciation)
In writing2.6 times per million words; the 16,687th most frequent word form
Wrong spellings searchednone 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 hitch?

Hitch appears 2.6 times per million words in written English, the 16,687th 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 hitch?

  • /hɪt͡ʃ/

Hitch has one syllable (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: En-us-hitch.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

Forms of hitch

  • hitches plural, present, singular, he/she/it
  • hitching participle, present
  • hitched participle, past

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What does hitch mean?

The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).

noun

  1. 1

    A sudden pull.

  2. 2

    Any of various knots used to attach a rope to an object other than another rope.

  3. 3

    A fastener or connection point, as for a trailer.

    His truck sported a heavy-duty hitch for his boat.

  4. 4

    informalA problem, delay or source of difficulty.

    The banquet went off without a hitch

  5. 5

    A hidden or unfavorable condition or element.

    The deal sounds too good to be true. What's the hitch?

  6. 6

    slangA period of time spent in the military.

    She served two hitches in Vietnam.

  7. 7

    A large Californian minnow, Lavinia exilicauda.

  8. 8

    A hole cut into the wall of a mine on which timbers are rested.

    A coal cutter and conveyor is used along the face, and after each cut the hitch had to be crossed at a new point.

verb

  1. 1

    To pull with a jerk.

    She hitched her jeans up and then tightened her belt.

  2. 2

    To attach, tie or fasten.

    He hitched the bedroll to his backpack and went camping.

  3. 3

    informalTo marry oneself to; especially to get hitched.

  4. 4

    informalClipping of hitchhike, to thumb a ride.

    to hitch a ride

  5. 5

    To become entangled or caught; to be linked or yoked; to unite; to cling.

  6. 6

    To move interruptedly or with halts, jerks, or steps; said of something obstructed or impeded.

    Frank’s breath hitched in his throat when he saw the knife being pointed at him.

  7. 7

    UKTo strike the legs together in going, as horses; to interfere.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

Hitch in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

LanguageWords
GermanRuck (1. sudden pull), Festmacherknoten (2. knot), Anhängerkupplung (3. connection point for trailer), Problem, Störung, Schwierigkeit (4. problem, delay or source of difficulty)
Frenchnœud d'accroche (2. knot), dispositif m d'attelage (3. connection point for trailer), accroc, hic, anicroche (4. problem, delay or source of difficulty)
Portugueseengate (3. connection point for trailer), atrelar (to attach)
Spanishenganche (3. connection point for trailer), contratiempo, percance (4. problem, delay or source of difficulty), hacérsele un nudo en la garganta, detenérsele la respiración, soltar un hálito retenido (to move interruptedly or with halts, jerks, or…)

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 hitch come from?

Probably from Middle English hicchen, hytchen, icchen (“to move; to move as with a jerk”), of obscure origin. Lacks cognates in other languages. Compare itch, hike.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

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