kitsvskitschWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“kits” and “kitsch” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#9,912
“kits” frequency rank
#42,224
“kitsch” frequency rank
52136
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature kits kitsch
Definition plural of kit Art, decorative objects, and other forms of representation of questionable artistic or aesthetic value; a representation that is excessively sentimental, overdone, or vulgar.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set kits and kitsch apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
kits
6 ch
kitsch

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. kits (/kɪts/) and kitsch (/kɪt͡ʃ/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “kits” sits inside “kitsch”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 52136, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

kits is recorded at frequency rank #9,912, classified as anoun, pronounced /kɪts/. kitsch is at rank #42,224, tagged as anoun, pronounced /kɪt͡ʃ/.

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 52136, this pair ranks #159,575 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of kits vs kitsch

Shared letters: ikst. Private to "kits": -. Private to "kitsch": ch.

"kits" · 4 letters · shape CVCC  ·  "kitsch" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • kitsikts · kist · kitss · kitts · kkits · ktis
  • kitschiktsch · kistch · kitcsh · kitscch · kitschh · kitshc · kitssch · kittsch

Frequency comparison

kits#9,912
kitsch#42,224

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "kits" and "kitsch" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (/kɪts/ versus /kɪt͡ʃ/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "kits" or "kitsch"?
"kits" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #9,912 in our English list, against #42,224 for "kitsch". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering kits vs kitsch

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “kits” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list