kitten

/ˈkɪt.n̩/

//ˈkɪt.n̩// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"kitten" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“kitten” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #12,264. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#12,264
frequency rank, English
1,236
“K” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
8
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A young cat, especially before sexual maturity (reached at about seven months).

Corpus desk

Index EN-kitten · kitten · English

kitten · rank #12,264 · 7 variants · 8 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #12,264
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 8 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,236
  • PHOTO-FINISH Kerr

Nearest frequency peer: Kerr (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “kitten”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “kitten” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

kitten vs kitty
67% similar
kitten vs Kristen
57% similar
kitten vs knitted
71% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for kitten
PropertyValue
Headwordkitten
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkɪt.n̩/
Letters6
Frequency rank#12,264
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs8
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “kitten”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).kittenlands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “Kerr” (#12,263), “Knicks” (#12,265), “kat” (#12,262). Among 1,236 “K” headwords, “kitten” is #12,264. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around kitten (IPA /ˈkɪt.n̩/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #12,264 among 1,236 “K” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for kitten, with forms such as "iktten", "kiten", and "kitetn". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 8 confusable-pair relationships, "kitty", "Kristen", "knitted", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English kitoun, kytton, kyton, keton (“kitten”), of obscure origin. Seemingly from, and usually explained as being from, unattested Anglo-Norman *kitoun, *ketun (compare Old French chitoun, cheton, chaton (“kitten”), diminutive of cat, chat (“ca… The correct English form is kitten, spelled K-I-T-T-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    A young cat, especially before sexual maturity (reached at about seven months).
  2. 2
    A young rabbit, rat, hedgehog, squirrel, fox, beaver, badger, etc.
  3. 3
    A moth of the genus Furcula.
  4. 4
    A term of endearment, especially for a woman.
  5. 5
    A term of endearment, especially for a woman.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how kitten appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. It was supposed to have happened thus: the cat had young kittens, and frequently carried them mice, and other animals its prey, and among the rest a young rat: the kittens, not being hungry, played with it, and when the cat came to give suck to the kittens, the rat likewise sucked her.
  2. To the sounds, however, I paid no attention at first as I was much interested in the subject upon which I was writing; but at length my som Richard burst into my study, exclaiming that the kitten had climbed up to the top of a young ash tree, and could not get down again.

Etymology

From Middle English kitoun, kytton, kyton, keton (“kitten”), of obscure origin. Seemingly from, and usually explained as being from, unattested Anglo-Norman *kitoun, *ketun (compare Old French chitoun, cheton, chaton (“kitten”), diminutive of cat, chat (“cat”)); whence Modern French chaton (“kitten”). Similar words of Germanic origin may have reinforced this word; compare English kitling (“kit, kitten”), Low German Kitten (“kitten”), Icelandic kettlingur (“kitten”), Middle English chitte ("whelp, pup", see chit). The idea that kitoun, rather than being of Anglo-Norman origin, was in fact a purely Germanic derivation from one of these words is etymologically problematic, but cannot be definitively ruled out.

Synonyms

catlingkitkitlingkittykitty cat

This word in other languages

gatito(Español)chaton(Français)Kätzchen(Deutsch)gatinho(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • iktten
  • kiten
  • kitetn
  • kittenn
  • kittne
  • kkitten
  • ktiten

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of kitten - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

iktten2kiten1kitetn2kittenn1kittne2kkitten1ktiten2
Edit distance from "kitten"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "kitten"?
"kitten" is spelled K-I-T-T-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkɪt.n̩/.
What does "kitten" mean?
As a noun, "kitten" means: A young cat, especially before sexual maturity (reached at about seven months).
What words are commonly confused with "kitten"?
"kitten" is commonly confused with "kitty", "Kristen", "knitted". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "kitten"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "kitten" is /ˈkɪt.n̩/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "kitten"?
From Middle English kitoun, kytton, kyton, keton (“kitten”), of obscure origin. Seemingly from, and usually explained as being from, unattested Anglo-Norman *kitoun, *ketun (compare Old French chitoun, cheton, chaton (“kitten”), diminutive of cat,... See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "kitten", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Knicks#12,265lender#12,269Lisbon#12,272Morton#12,277

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

Lagos7 variantslever7 variantsforex7 variantsflare7 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list