Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

catch-22

/ˌkætʃ ˌtwɛnti ˈtuː/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.66 in modern English

Syllables: catch-22
IPA: /ˌkætʃ ˌtwɛnti ˈtuː/

12

Scrabble Score

5

Letters

2

Syllables

4

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A difficult situation from which there is no escape because it involves mutually conflicting or dependent conditions.

noun

Alternative letter-case form of Catch-22.

Example Sentences

"For us it’s been a real Catch-22: when we have the time to take a vacation, we don’t have enough money, and when we have enough money, we don’t have the time."
"Herein lies my personal “Catch 22”; the choice between three hours sleep and some discomfort or six hours sleep and real pain. Usually I choose the lesser evil of insomnia because in addition to the pain at 6am, I am incapacitated by the hangover from the sedative."
"Overall, the subgrouping issue in S[ino-]T[ibetan] studies is plagued by a familiar Catch-22. Until a more complete reconstruction of P[roto-]S[ino-]T[ibetan] exists, it is difficult to accurately identify shared innovations. Yet, without a clear subgrouping, it is difficult to properly weight and evaluate data from the daughter languages in order to refine PST reconstructions."
"That can make A.I. feel like something of a Catch-22 for workers: If the technology succeeds in reshaping the economy, they could lose their jobs. If it fails to live up to the hype, their retirement savings could evaporate."
"Research on Esperanto is accompanied by a dilemma that has the character of a catch-22 situation."
"Passengers may find themselves in a catch-22 situation, unable to buy a ticket for any number of reasons, ranging from an out-of-order ticket vending machine to a lengthy queue to use one, and yet then fall foul of the penalty fare regime."

Etymology

Coined by American writer Joseph Heller in 1961 in his novel Catch-22, in which the main character feigns madness in order to avoid dangerous combat missions, but his desire to avoid them is taken to prove his sanity.

Inflected Forms

Catch-22s (plural)

Phrases

CATCH 22 syndrome

Frequently Paired Words

CATCH 22 syndrome deadlock dilemma

Synonyms

Catch-22 dilemma Hobson's choice Morton's fork no-win situation quandary Sophie's choice

Questions

How do you pronounce catch-22?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˌkætʃ ˌtwɛnti ˈtuː/.
What does catch-22 mean?: A difficult situation from which there is no escape because it involves mutually conflicting or dependent conditions.
Where does catch-22 come from?: Coined by American writer Joseph Heller in 1961 in his novel Catch-22, in which the main character feigns madness in order to avoid dangerous combat missions, but his desire to avoid them is taken to prove his sanity.

How to pronounce catch-22

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “catch-22”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˌkætʃ ˌtwɛnti ˈtuː/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “catch-22”.
Repeat and practice — Say “catch-22” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.