Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

ketchup

/ˈkɛt͡ʃ.əp/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 3.46 in modern English

Syllables
ketchup
IPA
/ˈkɛt͡ʃ.əp/
18
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
2
Syllables
7
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Ellipsis of tomato ketchup (“a tomato-vinegar-based sauce, sometimes containing spices, onion or garlic, and (especially in the US) sweeteners”).

Canadian usage; British usage; American usage; Uncountable

noun

Such a sauce more generally (not necessarily based on tomatoes, but with mushrooms, fish, etc.). This is the older meaning.

Archaic; Countable

verb

To cover with ketchup.

Transitive verb

Example Sentences

Etymology

Etymology tree Hokkien 膎汁 (kê-chiap)der. Malay kecapbor.? English ketchup Uncertain, but probably ultimately from Hokkien 膎汁 (kê-chiap, “fish sauce”) via Malay kecap ~ kicap “any dark clear sauce from soy, fish etc”, though the precise path is unclear – there are related words in various Chinese languages. Various other theories exist – see Ketchup: Etymology for extended discussion. First appeared in English in the late 17th century in reference to a Southeast Asian sauce encountered by British traders and sailors. The Oxford English Dictionary notes that it was commonly used in the 18th century to refer to a variety of similar sauces with varying ingredients—"anchovies, mushrooms, walnuts, and oysters being particularly popular"—but by the late 19th century the current tomato ketchup became the most popular form. Catsup (earlier catchup) is an alternative Anglicization, still in use in the U.S., though it is now somewhat rare.

Word Breakdown

Usage

Inflected Forms

ketchups (plural) catchup (alternative) catsup (alternative) katsup (alternative) katjap (alternative, obsolete) kechap (alternative, obsolete) ketsup (alternative, obsolete) ketchups (present, singular) ketchupping (participle, present) ketchupped (participle, past) ketchupped (past)

Derived Forms

ketchupless ketchuplike ketchuppy

Phrases

banana ketchup curry ketchup marry the ketchup marry the ketchups

Frequently Paired Words

cherry sauce chili sauce fish sauce hoisin sauce oyster flavor sauce plum sauce soy sauce sweet and sour sauce

Synonyms

tomato catsup catsup cetchup tomato ketchup

Homonyms

catch-up (one pronunciation)

Rhymes With

catsup

Questions

How do you pronounce ketchup?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈkɛt͡ʃ.əp/.
What does ketchup mean?
Ellipsis of tomato ketchup (“a tomato-vinegar-based sauce, sometimes containing spices, onion or garlic, and (especially in the US) sweeteners”).
Where does ketchup come from?
Etymology tree Hokkien 膎汁 (kê-chiap)der. Malay kecapbor.? English ketchup Uncertain, but probably ultimately from Hokkien 膎汁 (kê-chiap, “fish sauce”) via Malay kecap ~ kicap “any dark clear sauce from soy, fish etc”, though the precise path is unclear – there are related words in various Chinese languages. Various other theories exist – see Ketchup: Etymology for extended discussion. First appeared in English in the late 17th century in reference to a Southeast Asian sauce encountered by British traders and sailors. The Oxford English Dictionary notes that it was commonly used in the 18th century to refer to a variety of similar sauces with varying ingredients—"anchovies, mushrooms, walnuts, and oysters being particularly popular"—but by the late 19th century the current tomato ketchup became the most popular form. Catsup (earlier catchup) is an alternative Anglicization, still in use in the U.S., though it is now somewhat rare.

How to pronounce ketchup

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “ketchup”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈkɛt͡ʃ.əp/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “ketchup”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “ketchup” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.