# Kitty-corner vs catty-corner **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 28, 2012, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kitty-corner-vs-catty-corner/642409 "2012-11-28T21:48:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![SummerOfLove](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2bfe46/32.png) [@SummerOfLove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SummerOfLove)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2012, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kitty-corner-vs-catty-corner/642409/41 "2012-11-30T02:13:33Z")
In parts of Ohio and Pennsylvania, it is “Kater-Corner.” They are mostly Republitards there. Go figure. ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2012, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kitty-corner-vs-catty-corner/642409/42 "2012-11-30T02:47:44Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > Here’s a thought: > > I did a Google image search on _kitty corner_ to see what kind of pictures show up. > Result: One showing buildings across an intersection, One showing a piece of furniture designed to fit into a corner, and pages of cat-related pics. Oh, and a scattering of human females in scanty attire. > > I did a Google image search on _catty corner_ to see what kind of pictures show up. > Result: A whole bunch showing building (or lamp posts or whatever) across an intersection, and a bunch of cat litter boxes shaped like a quarter circle to fit into a corner. Thank you for your valuable research! That’s quite interesting 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Greg\_Charles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/839c29/32.png) [@Greg\_Charles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greg_Charles)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2012, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kitty-corner-vs-catty-corner/642409/43 "2012-11-30T18:08:10Z")
I have to believe that kittycorner was an intentional play on cattycorner, itself a corruption of catercorner, though probably not intentional. The “cater” part means four as already mentioned, but in caterwaul, it actually does mean cat. And in caterpillar too according to the dictionary I’m looking at. Hmm, interesting. ---
**Author:** ![Kasper1014](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c89c15/32.png) [@Kasper1014](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kasper1014)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2012, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kitty-corner-vs-catty-corner/642409/44 "2012-11-30T18:22:12Z")
I grew up saying catty corner. Born and raised in south Texas. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2012, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kitty-corner-vs-catty-corner/642409/45 "2012-11-30T19:08:13Z")
Catt(dd)y Corner. But not in the context of the OP. Only used it to mean things on diagonals from each other. Usually in a group of four. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2012, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kitty-corner-vs-catty-corner/642409/46 "2012-11-30T22:00:23Z")
It was catty-corner where I grew up, except for my buddy’s father who insisted on saying catty-wampus. ---
**Author:** ![Chicken\_Fingers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Chicken\_Fingers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chicken_Fingers)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2012, 8:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kitty-corner-vs-catty-corner/642409/47 "2012-12-01T08:12:17Z")
My mom always said kitty-cat-corner. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2012, 10:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kitty-corner-vs-catty-corner/642409/48 "2012-12-01T10:44:09Z")
Always “kitty-corner” for me. I never heard “cater-corner” until this thread. Southern Ontario and southern Alberta here. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2012, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kitty-corner-vs-catty-corner/642409/49 "2012-12-01T22:41:14Z")
> [@Chicken\_Fingers](#): > > My mom always said kitty-cat-corner. I think that was the strip joint down by the intersection. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2012, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kitty-corner-vs-catty-corner/642409/50 "2012-12-02T03:36:34Z")
> [@samclem](#): > > This just _has_ to be a generational difference. > > I’m 68, and never heard “kitty-corner.” My mom is 78, and that’s the phrase she uses. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2012, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kitty-corner-vs-catty-corner/642409/51 "2012-12-02T03:46:23Z")
> [@Greg\_Charles](#): > > I agree. You should at least include the correct term (catercorner) in your choices, just for us stodgy traditionalists. Thank you. But I got a surprise. I dug out my _American Heritage Dictionary_ to check the pronunciation. As expected, they have it as [ˈkætər ˌkɔrnərd]—but right after that they gave an alternative pronunciation: [ˈkætiː], yet with the spelling “cater-”. That was in addition to giving the rest of the spellings “catty” and “kitty” with their respective pronunciations. For those, it just says “_also_:” without making any judgments. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kitty-corner-vs-catty-corner/642409.md?page=2)