Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

critter

/ˈkɹɪtɚ/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 2.77 in modern English

Syllables: crit-ter
IPA: /ˈkɹɪtɚ/

9

Scrabble Score

7

Letters

2

Syllables

5

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A creature, and specifically, an animal or something animal-like.

Australian usage; American usage

noun

A small locomotive used in an industrial setting.

American usage

Example Sentences

"The San Juan market is Mexico City's most famous deli of exotic meats, where an adventurous shopper can hunt down hard-to-find critters such as ostrich, wild boar and crocodile."
"One of the biggest challenges facing a railfan photographer is the correct identification of one manufacturer's "critter" locomotive from that of another competing builder."

Etymology

First attested 1815, from a dialectal pronunciation of creature.

Word Breakdown

Root: *ḱer- (grow)

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈkɹɪtɚ/
British English: /ˈkɹɪtə/

Usage

Australian usage
American usage

Inflected Forms

critters (plural)

Derived Forms

congresscritter crittercam critterproof gendercritter salescritter spokescritter werecritter

Phrases

crispy critter crotch critter fearsome critter

Frequently Paired Words

beastie

Rhymes With

twitter bitter litter transmitter glitter hitter sitter fitter ritter emitter splitter quitter

Questions

How do you pronounce critter?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈkɹɪtɚ/.
What does critter mean?: A creature, and specifically, an animal or something animal-like.
Where does critter come from?: First attested 1815, from a dialectal pronunciation of creature.

How to pronounce critter

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