wildcat
wild·cat/ˈwaɪ.əldˌkæt/noun, adjective, verb
wildcat is spelled W-I-L-D-C-A-T: 7 letters and 2 syllables (wild·cat). It appears 1.1 times per million words in written English, the 26,776th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, wildcat means “Felis silvestris, a common small Old World wild cat somewhat larger than a house cat” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of wildcat is wildcats.
How many letters and syllables are in wildcat?
| Letters | 7: W-I-L-D-C-A-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: wild·cat |
| In writing | 1.1 times per million words; the 26,776th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
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).
How common is wildcat?
Wildcat appears 1.1 times per million words in written English, the 26,776th 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 wildcat?
- UK /ˈwaɪldˌkæt/
- US /ˈwaɪ.əldˌkæt/
- US [ˈwaɪ.əlʔˌkæt]
Wildcat has 2 syllables, split wild·cat in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-wildcat.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with wildcat
Also written: wild-cat (one word or two).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of wildcat
- wildcats plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- wild-cat
- wild cat
- wildcatting participle, present
- wildcatted participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does wildcat mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
UKFelis silvestris, a common small Old World wild cat somewhat larger than a house cat.
- 2
USA bobcat (Lynx rufus) or other similar New World species of lynx.
- 3
Any feral cat.
- 4
Alternative spelling of wild cat, any undomesticated felid, as tigers or lions.
- 5
A person who acts like a wildcat, (usually) a violent and easily-angered person or a sexually vigorous one.
- 6
An offensive formation with an unbalanced line and a snap directly to the running back rather than the quarterback.
- 7
A wheel that can be adjusted so as to revolve either with or on the shaft of a capstan.
- 8
Clipping of wildcat cartridge.
adjective
- 1
derogatoryOf or concerning businesses operating outside standard or legitimate practice, especially
- 2
datedderogatoryOf or concerning irresponsible banks or banking, (particularly) small, independent operations.
- 3
derogatoryOf or concerning oil exploration in new areas, (particularly) small, independent operations.
- 4
derogatoryOf or concerning actions undertaken by workers without approval or in defiance of the formal leadership of their trade unions.
- 5
Of or concerning customized or hand-made cartridges.
- 6
Unauthorized by the proper authorities.
verb
- 1
To drill for oil in an area where no oil has been found before.
You'd have to be very rich or very desperate to go wildcatting that far east.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Wildcat in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense Felis silvestris:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | chat sauvage |
| German | Wildkatze |
| Portuguese | gato-bravo, gato-selvagem, gato-montês |
| Spanish | gato montés, gato salvaje |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does wildcat come from?
From Middle English wyld cat, wylde cat (in the plural as wild cattes, wylde catis, wyle cattes), equivalent to wild + cat. Cognate with Middle Low German wiltkatte, German Wildkatze, Swedish vildkatt. Its adjectival senses were originally American and derived from the "wildcat banks" of Michigan, following its elevation to statehood in 1837. Two laws–one easing the requirements for establishing a new bank and another occasioned by the Panic of 1837 that removed the need for payment in specie–led to the creation and collapse of around 50 banks within two years.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).