kairos

/ˈkaɪɹɒs/

//ˈkaɪɹɒs// noun

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

The verdict

“kairos” is uncommon English (frequency #76,906 among 1,236 “K” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#76,906
frequency rank, English
1,236
“K” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A time when conditions are right for the accomplishment of a crucial action; the opportune and decisive moment.

Corpus desk

Index EN-kairos · kairos · English

kairos · rank #76,906 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #76,906
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,236
  • PHOTO-FINISH kahuna

Nearest frequency peer: kahuna (-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 “kairos”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for kairos
PropertyValue
Headwordkairos
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkaɪɹɒs/
Letters6
Frequency rank#76,906
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “kairos” in English

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).kairosfalls 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: “kahuna” (#76,905), “kagome” (#76,904), “Kaushal” (#76,908). Among 1,236 “K” headwords, “kairos” is #76,906. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

kairos is uncommon English at frequency #76,906 among 1,236 “K” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈkaɪɹɒs/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A time when conditions are right for the accomplishment of a crucial action; the opportune and decisive moment.".

No misspelling variants are generated for kairos in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Ancient Greek καιρός (kairós). The correct English form is kairos, spelled K-A-I-R-O-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    A time when conditions are right for the accomplishment of a crucial action; the opportune and decisive moment.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The—so-called! friends—rational world. If only they, Mom&Dad&Buddy&Sis, dear-but-square ones, could but know the kairos, the supreme moment…
  2. Kairos is not measurable. Kairos is ontological. In kairos we are, we are fully in isness, not negatively, as Sartre saw the isness of the oak tree, but fully, wholly, positively.

Etymology

From Ancient Greek καιρός (kairós).

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 "kairos"?
"kairos" is spelled K-A-I-R-O-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkaɪɹɒs/.
What does "kairos" mean?
As a noun, "kairos" means: A time when conditions are right for the accomplishment of a crucial action; the opportune and decisive moment.
How do you pronounce "kairos"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "kairos" is /ˈkaɪɹɒs/. 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 "kairos"?
From Ancient Greek καιρός (kairós). 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 "kairos", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list