kapok
ka·pok/ˈkeɪˌpɑk/noun
kapok is spelled K-A-P-O-K: 5 letters and 2 syllables (ka·pok). It appears about once in every 19 million words in written English, the 131,834th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, kapok means “A silky fibre obtained from seed pods of the silk-cotton tree (Ceiba pentandra) used for insulation and stuffing for mattresses, pillows, etc” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of kapok is kapoks.
How many letters and syllables are in kapok?
| Letters | 5: K-A-P-O-K |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: ka·pok |
| In writing | about once in every 19 million words; the 131,834th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is kapok?
Kapok appears about once in every 19 million words in written English, the 131,834th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce kapok?
- UK /ˈkeɪpɒk/
- US /ˈkeɪˌpɑk/
- /ˈkɑːpəʊk/
Kapok has 2 syllables, split ka·pok in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-I_learned_some_phrases-kapok.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of kapok
- kapoks plural
- capoc
- kapoc
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does kapok mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A silky fibre obtained from seed pods of the silk-cotton tree (Ceiba pentandra) used for insulation and stuffing for mattresses, pillows, etc.
- 2
A silk-cotton tree (Ceiba pentandra).
- 3
A cotton tree, Malabar silk-cotton tree, or red silk-cotton tree (Bombax ceiba).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Kapok in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense silky fibre obtained from seed pods of the silk-cotton tree (Ceiba pentandra):
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does kapok come from?
Borrowed from Malay kapuk (“silky fibre from the silk-cotton tree; Ceiba pentandra”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).