# nitty

> English word · Adjective · IPA /ˈnɪtiː/ · frequency rank #41,785

## Definitions
1. Full of nits.
2. Foolish, inane.

## Etymology
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”).

## Easily confused with
- **nutty** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/nitty-vs-nutty)
- **nit** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/nit-vs-nitty)
- **nite** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/nite-vs-nitty)
- **NIST** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/nist-vs-nitty)
- **nasty** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/nasty-vs-nitty)
- **ninth** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ninth-vs-nitty)
- **Nicky** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/nicky-vs-nitty)
- **nitro** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/nitro-vs-nitty)
- **nifty** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/nifty-vs-nitty)
- **Nieto** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/nieto-vs-nitty)
- **natty** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/natty-vs-nitty)
- **ninety** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ninety-vs-nitty)

## Common misspellings (6)
`intty`, `nittyy`, `nity`, `nityt`, `nnitty`, `ntity`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/nitty