snitch

/snɪt͡ʃ/

//snɪt͡ʃ// verb

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

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

The verdict

“snitch” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #25,583 in English word frequency and used as a verb.

#25,583
frequency rank, English
6
letters
10
tracked misspellings
10
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To inform on someone, especially in betrayal of others.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

snitch vs switch
83% similar
snitch vs stitch
83% similar
snitch vs swatch
67% similar

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

Key facts for snitch
PropertyValue
Headwordsnitch
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/snɪt͡ʃ/
Letters6
Frequency rank#25,583
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs10
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “snitch” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for snitch is 6 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /snɪt͡ʃ/. Corpus data places it at rank #25,583 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for snitch, with forms such as "nsitch", "sintch", and "snicth". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 10 confusable-pair relationships, "switch", "stitch", "swatch", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Origin uncertain. Perhaps an alteration of Middle English snacche (“a trap, snare”), snacchen (“to seize (prey)”, whence modern English snatch). Compare also Middle English snik snak (“a sudden blow, snap”). Alternatively, perhaps from a dialectal variant o… The correct English form is snitch, spelled S-N-I-T-C-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    To inform on someone, especially in betrayal of others.
  2. 2
    To contact or cooperate with the police for any reason.
  3. 3
    To steal, quickly and quietly.

Etymology

Origin uncertain. Perhaps an alteration of Middle English snacche (“a trap, snare”), snacchen (“to seize (prey)”, whence modern English snatch). Compare also Middle English snik snak (“a sudden blow, snap”). Alternatively, perhaps from a dialectal variant of sneak, from Middle English sniken, from Old English snīcan (“to creep; crawl”). More at sneak.

Synonyms

filchnickpilferpocketdrop a dimegrass uprat out

This word in other languages

afanar(Español)piquer(Français)klauen(Deutsch)delatar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: nsitch,sintch,snicth,snitcch,snitchh,snithc,snittch,snnitch,sntich,ssnitch

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of snitch - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

nsitch2sintch2snicth2snitcch1snitchh1snithc2snittch1snnitch1
Edit distance from "snitch"

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 "snitch"?
"snitch" is spelled S-N-I-T-C-H. The IPA pronunciation is /snɪt͡ʃ/.
What does "snitch" mean?
As a verb, "snitch" means: To inform on someone, especially in betrayal of others.
What words are commonly confused with "snitch"?
"snitch" is commonly confused with "switch", "stitch", "swatch". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "snitch"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "snitch" is /snɪt͡ʃ/. 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 "snitch"?
Origin uncertain. Perhaps an alteration of Middle English snacche (“a trap, snare”), snacchen (“to seize (prey)”, whence modern English snatch). Compare also Middle English snik snak (“a sudden blow, snap”). Alternatively, perhaps from a dialectal... 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.

Using “snitch”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is S-N-I-T-C-H - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /snɪt͡ʃ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “switch” - see the side-by-side comparison. snitch vs switch
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list