Kolkata

[kɒlˈkɑːtə]

/[kɒlˈkɑːtə]/ name

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

The verdict

“Kolkata” is uncommon German (outside the top frequency list), classed as a proper noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency German
7
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Stadt im indischen Bundesstaat Westbengalen; Kolkata, Kalkutta

Key facts for Kolkata
PropertyValue
HeadwordKolkata
LanguageGerman
Part of speechProper noun
IPA[kɒlˈkɑːtə]
Letters7
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Kolkata” sits in German frequency

Kolkata falls outside the top-100,000 ranked German words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

Kolkata is uncommon German outside the top frequency list, classed as aproper noun, transcribed [kɒlˈkɑːtə]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Stadt im indischen Bundesstaat Westbengalen; Kolkata, Kalkutta".

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for Kolkata, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable German rules. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so spelling patterns must be inferred from the word's phoneme-to-grapheme mapping rather than from a documented borrowing chain. The correct German form is Kolkata, spelled K-O-L-K-A-T-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    Stadt im indischen Bundesstaat Westbengalen; Kolkata, Kalkutta

Synonyms

Calcutta

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "Kolkata"?
"Kolkata" is spelled K-O-L-K-A-T-A. The IPA pronunciation is [kɒlˈkɑːtə].
What does "Kolkata" mean?
As a proper noun, "Kolkata" means: Stadt im indischen Bundesstaat Westbengalen; Kolkata, Kalkutta
How do you pronounce "Kolkata"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Kolkata" is [kɒlˈkɑːtə]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "Kolkata" come from?
"Kolkata" is a German word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “Kolkata”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct German spelling is K-O-L-K-A-T-A - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [kɒlˈkɑːtə] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more German words and confusable pairs in the same reference. German words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list