Which to use
“kind” is a noun and “kinky” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #337
- “kind” frequency rank
- #17,881
- “kinky” frequency rank
- 18218
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | kind | kinky |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A type, race or category; a group of entities that have common characteristics such that they may be grouped together. | Full of kinks; liable to kink or curl. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set kind and kinky apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
kind and kinky form a confusable pair in the English index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 18218, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
kind is recorded at frequency rank #337, classified as anoun, pronounced /kaɪnd/. kinky is at rank #17,881, tagged as anadj, pronounced /ˈkɪŋki/.
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 18218, this pair ranks #446,337 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "kind" and "kinky" be used interchangeably?
Remembering kind vs kinky
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “kind”; for an adjective, it's “kinky”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “kind” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable