Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

nitty

/ˈnɪti/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.70 in modern English

Syllables
nit-ty
IPA
/ˈnɪti/
8
Scrabble Score
5
Letters
2
Syllables
4
Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Full of nits.

Archaic

adj

Foolish, inane.

British usage; Slang

noun

A dope fiend, a druggie.

Slang

adj

Shining; elegant, spruce.

Obsolete

Example Sentences

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”).

Origin

Word Breakdown

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈnɪti/
  • British English: /ˈnɪtiː/

Usage

Inflected Forms

nittier (comparative) more nitty (comparative) nittiest (superlative) most nitty (superlative) nittie (alternative) nitties (plural)

Derived Forms

Synonyms

Rhymes With

Questions

How do you pronounce nitty?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈnɪti/.
What does nitty mean?
Full of nits.
Where does nitty come from?
It is traced to Latin.

How to pronounce nitty

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