karma
kar·ma/ˈkɐɾ.mɑː/noun
karma is spelled K-A-R-M-A: 5 letters and 2 syllables (kar·ma). It appears 7.6 times per million words in written English, the 8,542nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data, counting Karma, the name). As a noun, karma means “The sum total of a person's actions, which determine the person's next incarnation in samsara, the cycle of death and rebirth” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of karma is karmas.
How many letters and syllables are in karma?
| Letters | 5: K-A-R-M-A |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: kar·ma |
| In writing | 7.6 times per million words; the 8,542nd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Sounds like | |
| Same letters |
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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is karma?
Karma appears 7.6 times per million words in written English, the 8,542nd most frequent word form in the list. The list counts every capitalisation together, so this includes Karma, the name.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce karma?
- /ˈkɐɾ.mɑː/
- /ˈkɑː.mə/
- /ˈkɑɹ.mə/
Karma has 2 syllables, split kar·ma in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-karma.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with karma
Sounds like: calmer, cama (Wiktionary's homophone list; some hold only in some accents).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with karma?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as karma.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: makar, krama.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of karma
- karmas plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does karma mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The sum total of a person's actions, which determine the person's next incarnation in samsara, the cycle of death and rebirth.
- 2
A force or law of nature which causes one to reap what one sows; destiny; fate.
- 3
A distinctive feeling, aura, or atmosphere.
- 4
A score assigned to a user or post on some discussion forums, indicating popularity or perceived value.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Karma in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
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 karma come from?
Borrowed from Sanskrit कर्म (kárma), nom.sg. of कर्मन् (kárman, “act, action, performance”); first attested in English in 1785 in a translation of the Bhagavad Gita by Charles Wilkins.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).