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Catsup vs. Ketchup


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I looked up the origins of this word thinking that I'll probably find Catsup to be a German word or some similar story, and I was surprised when I found out that catsup vs ketchup was far from what I was expecting and that seems to be not even a common consensus on the origin of this word, nor the official one to use.

 

 

Catsup vs. ketchup

Anyone here with knowledge on some facts about these spellings? I'd love to hear if one is more favored in some countries over others, and other bits of similar information and trivia any of you might have would be great too.  :wacky:

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Is catsup an authentic word to replace Ketchup with? I thought it was just some joke that they made up to put in The Simpsons... I mean seriously, who can forget Mr Burns and his "catsup"?

 

For a swedish person, catsup sounds a bit like swenglish. Cat = katt (eng) sup = supa = drink (alchohol, slang) (swedish)

So it sounds like someone is refering to a cat who has been drinking alcohol. A cat-sup.

 

catsup vs ketchup

 

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I've never quite figured this out myself. It seems like a regional thing - this is true for a lot of words for items, especially food. Not that that clarifies the origins of the difference.

Some people say catsup, some people say ketchup. I tend to associate catsup with rural areas, and older folk. It seems ketchup is the newer way of saying it, but both ways have been around for awhile.

So yeah, you can use either word, ketchup seems more common, but it depends on who you're talking to, really.

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It is my belief that catsup may just be a funny name given to ketchup by people of a certain region. I have seen it been used on TV but never formally so that's my guess.

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I never knew there was a famous Simpsons segment of this, and I've watched most of the classic episodes. Is this from the newer episodes? I'm going to have to look it up and see it for myself, but if anyone can chime in on which specific episode it is in, that would be great!

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A quick googling tells me that it's from episode 174 (Season 8 episode 21) which was originally aired on April 20, 1997.

The episode is called "The Old Man and the Lisa".

It's not so extraordinary to be honest, but everyone seems to remember it either way. I think I've just seen this episode too many times to forget it... I don't even like the Simpsons!

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catsup vs ketchup

 

I was curious about this too, as the two words are used interchangeably although "ketchup" is much more common.

 

I did some research and found out that both "catsup" and "ketchup" are derived from the Chinese word

"ke-tsiap" -- which is a type of pickled fish sauce.  Thus, it's a variation in the spelling. 

 

Over the years, "ketchup" has become much more common and typically perceived as the preferred usage.  "Catsup" is more common in the U.S. than in the UK.

 

Interesting topic! :)

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  • 2 weeks later...

I always thought catsup was the British English spelling. That's because I've always used ketchup and my country tends to use American English. So I always assumed that the other spelling is the British one. How interesting that there's no consensus on the origin of something so, uhm, modern. I mean, ketchup couldn't have been invented too long ago right?  :amazed:

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  • 1 month later...

Interesting! I always thought catsup was the old-european way of pronouncing and spelling ketchup. It reminds me of the spelling differences we have in English -- American English vs British English. For example, Americans write: "color". The British for what I understand write: "colour" The same "ou" difference can be found in many words like honor/honour, favorite/favourite...

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  • 2 weeks later...

Ketchup is the standard name being used by manufacturers and consumers. But Catsup is still prevalent in most parts, because that is what it was called in the US when it was being manufactured for the first time. Only later did it get a standard spelling in Ketchup. The origin of both words is said to be from either kechiap from china, kicap from the malay language or from kecap which is an Indonesian word, all of which are for sauces made from different ingredients like shrimps, spices and herbs.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Catsup sounds, well not sound but the spelling looks weird. I always pronounce it as "Cat's Up" whenever I see it without realizing what it meant. I thought it was just a joke or something. And ketchup feels better in the eyes and the tongue. 

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  • 3 weeks later...

I've always used the word "Catsup" when writing it and I pronounce it as "Ketchup." I didn't even know that "Ketchup" can be used for writing as well.  Nevertheless, I still prefer to use "Catsup" in writing.

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  • 1 month later...

My son and I were just talking about this today, because we were getting some food,  and he saw a package labeled "Catsup" and was wondering about it as opposed to the word Ketchup.  I've seen the two words used interchangeably for years so I accept them both, as long as the product inside the bottle is good.

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I always thought Catsup was the generic brand of Ketchup. Sort of like how some sodas are named similar, but not the same (Mountain Dew being changed to Mountain Mist, etc). Interesting to hear everybody elses' interpretations of it!

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Depends on the country. In the Philippines, we use both catsup and ketchup. But I think ketchup sounds more appropriate because everybody spells it that way and Google Chrome thinks that "catsup" is wrong.

On the down side, some people pronounce catsup as cat soup.

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  • 1 year later...

I've only heard of using "Ketchup" to refer to the red tomato sauce we use with French fries. When I hear "Catsup", I immediately think of the Simpson's episode or I think it's a joke word.

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I always thought Catsup was the generic brand of Ketchup. Sort of like how some sodas are named similar, but not the same (Mountain Dew being changed to Mountain Mist, etc). Interesting to hear everybody elses' interpretations of it!

"Ketchup" isn't a brand name.  Heinz is a brand name.  Ketchup is public domain.  Using the word "ketchup" is like using the word "soda". 

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On 27 June 2014 03:17:44, Baburra said:

I looked up the origins of this word thinking that I'll probably find Catsup to be a German word or some similar story, and I was surprised when I found out that it was far from what I was expecting and that seems to be not even a common consensus on the origin of this word, nor the official one to use.

 

 

Anyone here with knowledge on some facts about these spellings? I'd love to hear if one is more favored in some countries over others, and other bits of similar information and trivia any of you might have would be great too.  :wacky:

I was wondering if you were talking about "catchup" as in when you try to get up to speed and in progress with what ever your focus is. Its my first time seeing the word catsup. Thanks for sharing.

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On 17 November 2015 11:03:15, czarina84 said:

From my understanding, there are both valid.  However, I have always grown up hearing ketchup.  Catsup is just an outdated variant.  Merrium-Webster's official site has catsup listed as a variant of ketchup.

Thank you for that information. You saved me the time and effort of getting the dictionary. So catsup is the same as  ketchup in English.

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