English spellings/Catalogs/K
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| Retroalphabetical list | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Common misspellings |
This page lists pronunciations of English words that begin with K. To see a different letter navigate with the table above. The apostrophe is treated as the last letter of the alphabet, after Z.
For a pronunciation key, click on the blue "Catalogs" link below the article title.[e]
K = Kây person
Kàbul *Kàbl, though some say Kabùl
Kafkaésque *Káfkə-ésk: there may be a glottal stop before é
Kaîser Germany = Kaîzer South Africa
Kaláshnikov -óff
kamikàzê
Kándy Sri Lanka = cándy sweets
Kâne Citizen = câne = Câne = Câin Abel
kâolin *kâyəlin
kapùt unlike German 'kaputt'
Káradzic *Káradjitch
karaôkê *kariôkêy, *cárry-ôkie
Káren
Kàrín Giannone
kàrma
Kashmìr Asia = cashmêre wool, though for many who live there or close, the a is a schwa, *Kəshmìr
Kathmandû *Cát-mán-do
Kátz person = cáts cat
Kâylêigh McEnany *Kâly Mácanény
Keànu *Kê-ànû
kebáb makes a minimal pair with cabál
kêen interested, sharp = Kêane = Kêene persons
Kêighley *Kêithley
Kêith
Kéllaway
Kélso
kélvin temperature = Kélvin person
Kénilworth
kénnel
Kénneth
Kénya (also "Kênya" until the 1960s)
kërb BrE street = cürb lessen, street
kërnel centre BrE = colonel army
kérosêne or kérosìne
Kërr person = cür dog
Kérry cf. Cãry = Cãrey (minimal pair)
késtrel
kétchup
kéttle water cf. cáttle farm (minimal pair)
Keŵ Gardens = queûe line = cûe theatre, billiards
kêy door = quaỳ port = Kêe person
kêyboard one word, cf. sêaboard
Kèynes John Maynard = cânes
Kêynes Milton = kêens
Kèynsham
Kézia Dúgdale
Khachatûrian *Kachachûrian
khàkì, either syllable stressed
Khamenèì -nâ-êe
Khartoûm makes a minimal pair with cartoôn
Khmér K(ə)m-
Khomèini
Khrùshchev *Khroòsh-chóff is the closest to the Russian Хрущёв, and was the contemporary BBC pronunciation, though usually with initial stress
kibbùtz
kíd child, goat = Kídd = Kýdd
kídnáp
Kìév or *Kìéff or like Ukrainian (and as seen on Euronews) Kỳív
Kilinóchchi: only one ch pronounced
kìlo
kílomêtre or kilómetre; AmE -er
kînd
kíndred -dríd
kíngly
Kíngsley cf. Mackínley
Kinshàsa -ssə
Kirkcåldy
Kirkûdbrìght *Kəkûbry
Kíribati *Kíribàs (rendition of Gílberts)
kítsch *kítch
Klán Ku Klux = clán
Kleîn = Clîne
kn- n-
knâve cad, cards = nâve church
knêad dough = nêed necessary = knêed knee
knêejerk one word, n-
knêel down = Nêil, etc. persons
Knésset, K sounded
kneŵ know = neŵ fresh
kníck-knáck cf. Níck
knîght chess, Sir *nîte = Knîght person = nîght dark
Knîghtley = nîghtly
knít wool = nít creature, fool
knóck *nóck, cf. noòk
knót tie = nót no = Knótt person
knôw acquaint = nô negative
knôw-hòw knowledge is hyphenated = nôhòw anyhow
knôw-nothing adjective one word
knówledge *nólij rhymes with cóllege
knówledgeable *nólijəbl
knôwn cf. nòne
knôws know = nôse face
Knóx person = knócks knock, n-; cf. nóxious *nókshəss
koàla, cf. Kuàla Lùmpur
Kôch Industries = côke fuel = Côke Cola
Köestler, first syllable = BrE cürse
Kolkàta = Calcútta old spelling (presumably the change is an attempt to stop people pronouncing it Cál instead of cåll)
koòky eccentric = coòkie cake
kŏra makes a minimal pair with chŏral
Koràn
Koránic
Korêa peninsula = BrE carêer job, fast
Korêan
kôsher
Kósovô BrE; AmE Kôsovô, both -ss-
kowtòw *kòw-tòw
Krāft person = crāft skill
Krakatôa
Krákow, Krácow, Crácow *Cráckóff
kràùtróck *cròutróck, not capitalised
Kuàla Lùmpur, cf. koàla
Kuîper bélt Kî-
kúmquat BrE -qùat, AmE -quàt, -quåt
Kürt person = cürt abrupt
Kuwâit
Kwóuk Burt *Kwók
Kÿrgýz, Kyrgyzstān (Kýr- has mostly regularised to Kÿr-)
*Kyro Caîro