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kitty

Definition, pronunciation, etymology, and usage for the English word. Free spelling reference powered by Wiktionary.

Letters

5 characters

Language

English

word origin

Source

Wiktionary

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Detailed reference entry for the English word "kitty", 5-letters, with pronunciation in International Phonetic Alphabet notation, etymology traced through Germanic and Romance roots where applicable, common misspelling variants catalogued from Hunspell error dictionaries, and usage frequency ranked against the top 100,000 English words in the Wordfreq corpus. PlainSpell covers English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German spelling with confusable-pair detection that highlights visually and phonetically similar words. This entry for "kitty" includes synonyms, antonyms, homophones, and cross-language translation pointers sourced from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org extract. Whether you are verifying the correct spelling of "kitty" for academic writing, checking homophone confusion, or exploring etymological origins, this page provides a citation-backed, free reference that requires no sign-up.

kitty is aEnglishnoun. It means: A young cat; a kitten. Pronounced /ˈkɪti/. It ranks #7,356 in English word frequency. Often confused with Kristy and kit.

Key facts for kitty
PropertyValue
Headwordkitty
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkɪti/
Letters5
Frequency rank#7,356
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs15
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency rank visualization

Position of kitty in English word frequency (lower rank = more common)

Source: Wordfreq corpus

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for kitty is 5 letters long, classified as anoun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈkɪti/. Corpus data places it at rank #7,356 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text.Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our Hunspell-derived misspelling index lists 6 documented wrong-spelling variants for kitty, with forms such as "iktty", "kittyy", and "kity". Each variant represents a distinct typo pattern that appears often enough in corpora to be worth flagging, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution.It also participates in 15 confusable-pair relationships, "Kristy", "kit", "kits", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From kitt(en) + -y (diminutive suffix). Compare Dutch katje (“kitty”). Etymology 1 sense 2 (“vulva and/or vagina”) is probably modelled after the use of pussy to refer to the body part, from the appearance of an unshaven vulva. Root origin matters for spelling because borrowed morphemes (Greek, Latin, Old French, Old English) carry their source-language orthographic conventions into modern English, which is why historical etymology is often the cleanest predictor of whether a cluster like "-ough", "-eau", or "-tion" will appear. For readers arriving here from a spelling check, the authoritative guidance is: the correct English form is kitty, spelled K-I-T-T-Y, and any other sequence of those letters, regardless of how natural it feels, is a misspelling in standard orthography.

Definition

  1. 1
    A young cat; a kitten.
  2. 2
    An adult cat; also (often childish), sometimes in the form Kitty: a pet name for a cat of any age.
  3. 3
    Synonym of pussy (“vulva and/or vagina”).

Etymology

From kitt(en) + -y (diminutive suffix). Compare Dutch katje (“kitty”). Etymology 1 sense 2 (“vulva and/or vagina”) is probably modelled after the use of pussy to refer to the body part, from the appearance of an unshaven vulva.

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: iktty,kittyy,kity,kityt,kkitty,ktity

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

Relative frequency of common misspelling types for kitty

Misspelling Variants of "kitty"

iktty5kittyy6kity4kityt5kkitty6ktity5
Misspelling Variants of "kitty"

Frequency rank: #7,356 in English

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "kitty"?
"kitty" is spelled K-I-T-T-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkɪti/.
What does "kitty" mean?
As a noun, "kitty" means: A young cat; a kitten.
What words are commonly confused with "kitty"?
"kitty" is commonly confused with "Kristy", "kit", "kits". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "kitty"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "kitty" is /ˈkɪti/. 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 "kitty"?
From kitt(en) + -y (diminutive suffix). Compare Dutch katje (“kitty”). Etymology 1 sense 2 (“vulva and/or vagina”) is probably modelled after the use of pussy to refer to the body part, from the appearance of an unshaven vulva. 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.

Nearby English words

Other entries that begin with the letter K in our English index:

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Data Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Frequency data from Wordfreq. Misspellings derived from Hunspell dictionaries.