ketch
/kɛt͡ʃ/noun, verb
ketch is spelled K-E-T-C-H: 5 letters and one syllable. It appears about once in every 4 million words in written English, the 62,894th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, ketch means “A fore-and-aft rigged sailing vessel with two masts, main and mizzen, the mizzen being stepped forward of the rudder post” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of ketch is ketches.
How many letters and syllables are in ketch?
| Letters | 5: K-E-T-C-H |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 4 million words; the 62,894th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Pairs people 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); Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026).
How common is ketch?
Ketch appears about once in every 4 million words in written English, the 62,894th 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 ketch?
- /kɛt͡ʃ/
Ketch 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: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-ketch.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with ketch
Word pairs people search, with the monthly searches for “a vs b” (G: Google, B: Bing, United States).
Sources: Google and Bing searches (September 2025 to August 2026, through DataForSEO); English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of ketch
- ketches plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- ketching participle, present
- ketched participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does ketch mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A fore-and-aft rigged sailing vessel with two masts, main and mizzen, the mizzen being stepped forward of the rudder post.
- 2
A hangman.
'Squire Ketch rejoices as much to hear of a new Vox, as an old Sexton does to hear of a new Delight.
- 3
UKA pie or turnover.
noun
- 1
Synonym of Jack Ketch (“a public executioner”).
verb
- 1
Pronunciation spelling of catch.
If so you gonna ketch hell.
- 2
rareTo hang.
Well! If he has a mind to be Ketch'd, speed him say I.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Ketch in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense sailing vessel:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| Portuguese | queche |
| Spanish | queche |
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 ketch come from?
From Middle English catche, from cacchen (“to catch”). For the modern form with /ɛ/, compare the pronunciation /kɛtʃ/ of catch.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).