ketchup
/ˈkɛt͡ʃ.əp/noun, verb
ketchup is spelled K-E-T-C-H-U-P: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 2.9 times per million words in written English, the 15,798th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, ketchup means “Ellipsis of tomato ketchup (“a tomato-vinegar-based sauce, sometimes containing spices, onion or garlic, and (especially in the US) sweeteners”)” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of ketchup is ketchups.
How many letters and syllables are in ketchup?
| Letters | 7: K-E-T-C-H-U-P |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 2.9 times per million words; the 15,798th 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 ketchup?
Ketchup appears 2.9 times per million words in written English, the 15,798th 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 ketchup?
- /ˈkɛt͡ʃ.əp/
- /ˈkɛt͡ʃ.ʌp/
- /ˈkɛt͡ʃ.ʊp/
Ketchup 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: En-us-ketchup.ogg, En-ketchup.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with ketchup
Word pairs people search, with the monthly searches for “a vs b” (G: Google, B: Bing, United States).
Also written: catchup.
Sources: Google and Bing searches (September 2025 to August 2026, through DataForSEO); English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of ketchup
- ketchups plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- catchup
- catsup
- katsup
- ketchupping participle, present
- ketchupped participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does ketchup mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
CanadaUKUSEllipsis of tomato ketchup (“a tomato-vinegar-based sauce, sometimes containing spices, onion or garlic, and (especially in the US) sweeteners”).
tomato ketchup
- 2
archaicSuch a sauce more generally (not necessarily based on tomatoes, but with mushrooms, fish, etc.). This is the older meaning.
verb
- 1
To cover with ketchup.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Ketchup in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense tomato-vinegar based sauce:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | ketchup |
| German | Ketchup |
| Portuguese | ketchup |
| Spanish | kétchup, ketchup, cátsup, képchup, salsa de tomate |
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 ketchup come from?
Uncertain, but probably ultimately from Hokkien 膎汁 (kê-chiap, “fish sauce”) via Malay kecap ~ kicap “any dark clear sauce from soy, fish etc”, though the precise path is unclear – there are related words in various Chinese languages. Various other theories exist – see Ketchup: Etymology for extended discussion. First appeared in English in the late 17th century in reference to a Southeast Asian sauce encountered by British traders and sailors.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).