akimbo

/əˈkɪm.bəʊ/

//əˈkɪm.bəʊ// adj

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

"akimbo" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“akimbo” is uncommon English (frequency #85,995 among 3,931 “A” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#85,995
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - With a crook or bend; with the hand on the hip and elbow turned outward.

Corpus desk

Index EN-akimbo · akimbo · English

akimbo · rank #85,995 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #85,995
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH Aion

Nearest frequency peer: Aion (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Long-tail ranks near “akimbo”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “akimbo” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for akimbo
PropertyValue
Headwordakimbo
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/əˈkɪm.bəʊ/
Letters6
Frequency rank#85,995
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “akimbo” in English

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).akimbofalls in this rarity band:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “Aion” (#85,994), “Albano” (#85,997), “affixing” (#85,992). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “akimbo” is #85,995. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

akimbo is uncommon English at frequency #85,995 among 3,931 “A” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /əˈkɪm.bəʊ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for akimbo in our index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. Our dataset records no confusable match here, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English in kenebowe, in kene bowe (“in a keen bow”, i.e. “in a sharp bend or angle”), from in (“in”) + keen, kene (“brave, keen, sharp”) + bowe (“bow, bend”). Alternately, possibly from Old Norse kengr (“bent”) + bogi (“a bow”), compare Icelandi… The correct English form is akimbo, spelled A-K-I-M-B-O.

Definition

  1. 1
    With a crook or bend; with the hand on the hip and elbow turned outward.
  2. 2
    With legs spread and the knees bent in an outward or awkward way, sometimes with the feet touching.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how akimbo appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. "Now, then, mister," said he, with his head cocked and his arms akimbo, "what are you driving at? Let's have it straight, now."
  2. Girls take hold of the skirts; boys place the hands akimbo, bend forward from the waist, and bow.

Etymology

From Middle English in kenebowe, in kene bowe (“in a keen bow”, i.e. “in a sharp bend or angle”), from in (“in”) + keen, kene (“brave, keen, sharp”) + bowe (“bow, bend”). Alternately, possibly from Old Norse kengr (“bent”) + bogi (“a bow”), compare Icelandic kengboginn (“bow-bent”).

This word in other languages

en jarras(Español)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "akimbo"?
"akimbo" is spelled A-K-I-M-B-O. The IPA pronunciation is /əˈkɪm.bəʊ/.
What does "akimbo" mean?
As an adjective, "akimbo" means: With a crook or bend; with the hand on the hip and elbow turned outward.
How do you pronounce "akimbo"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "akimbo" is /əˈkɪm.bəʊ/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "akimbo"?
From Middle English in kenebowe, in kene bowe (“in a keen bow”, i.e. “in a sharp bend or angle”), from in (“in”) + keen, kene (“brave, keen, sharp”) + bowe (“bow, bend”). Alternately, possibly from Old Norse kengr (“bent”) + bogi (“a bow”), compar... See the full etymology section above for more details.
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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "akimbo", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Albano#85,997Adders#85,989Amhara#86,007amparo#86,009

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list