nitty
nit·ty/ˈnɪti/adjective, noun
nitty is spelled N-I-T-T-Y: 5 letters and 2 syllables (nit·ty). It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 41,660th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, nitty means “Foolish, inane” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in nitty?
| Letters | 5: N-I-T-T-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: nit·ty |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 41,660th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is nitty?
Nitty appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 41,660th 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 nitty?
- UK /ˈnɪtiː/
- UK /ˈnɪtɪ/
- US /ˈnɪti/
Nitty has 2 syllables, split nit·ty in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-uk-nitty.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with nitty?
5 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as nitty from its last stressed vowel (/ɪti/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of nitty
- nittier comparative
- more nitty comparative
- nittiest superlative
- most nitty superlative
- nittie
- nitties plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does nitty mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
archaicFull of nits.
- 2
UKslangFoolish, inane.
- 3
detailed or specific; fastidious, fussy, nit-picky.
- 4
slangOf a poker player: playing in an overly cautious and reactive manner.
- 5
obsoleterareShining; elegant, spruce.
noun
- 1
slangA dope fiend, a druggie.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Where does nitty come from?
From nit + -y. The “foolish, inane” adjective sense is from nit (“fool, nitwit”), possibly under the influence of nutty (“crazy, mad”). The origin of the noun sense (“dope fiend, druggie”) is unknown, but could refer to a person who is under the influence of drugs to the extent that he or she is careless about personal hygiene and unkempt. Compare the verb nit (“to be a nitty”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).