kava
/kɑː.və/
"kava" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“kava” is uncommon English (frequency #57,489 among 1,236 “K” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- #57,489
- frequency rank, English
- 1,236
- “K” headwords
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A plant from the South Pacific, Piper methysticum.
Corpus desk
Index EN-kava · kava · English
kava · rank #57,489 · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-RARE #57,489
- LEN-MID 4 letters
- VOW-2 2 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-MID 1,236
- PHOTO-FINISH Kem
Nearest frequency peer: Kem (+2 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 “kava”
Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter
- Jungian
Jungian
42,519 corpus weight
- kamp
kamp
42,515 corpus weight
- kava
kava
42,512 corpus weight
- Kem
Kem
42,510 corpus weight
- keno
keno
42,509 corpus weight
- knockers
knockers
42,507 corpus weight
What this shows Long-tail view: where “kava” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | kava |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /kɑː.və/ |
| Letters | 4 |
| Frequency rank | #57,489 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “kava” in English
Rare enough to double-check
kava is uncommon English at frequency #57,489 among 1,236 “K” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /kɑː.və/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.
Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for kava, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Tongan kava, in turn from Proto-Polynesian *kawa. Doublet of ʻawa, ava, kawa, and yava. The correct English form is kava, spelled K-A-V-A.
Definition
- 1A plant from the South Pacific, Piper methysticum.
- 2An intoxicating beverage made from the kava plant.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how kava appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
The roots produce a liqueur called kava. Kava has a mild aphrodisiac effect.
The Nationals MP suffered the consequences of drinking an entire shell of sakau – a traditional Micronesian kava with sedative qualities made from the root of the pepper plant – in one hit, thinking it was similar to South Pacific kava. […] While not alcoholic, sakau – like other kavas served throughout the Pacific region – is known for its narcotic sedat…
Etymology
From Tongan kava, in turn from Proto-Polynesian *kawa. Doublet of ʻawa, ava, kawa, and yava.
This word in other languages
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 "kava"?
What does "kava" mean?
How do you pronounce "kava"?
What is the origin of the word "kava"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Similar English words by spelling shape
Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "kava", not the corpus desk frequency band.
Same letter count
Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).