kebab
/kɪˈbæb/noun, verb
kebab is spelled K-E-B-A-B: 5 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 1.1 times per million words in written English, the 27,820th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, kebab means “A hand-held dish consisting of slices of meat or fish roasted on an upright skewer, usually mixed with fresh vegetables and sauces and served in…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of kebab is kebabs.
How many letters and syllables are in kebab?
| Letters | 5: K-E-B-A-B |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.1 times per million words; the 27,820th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; 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 kebab?
Kebab appears 1.1 times per million words in written English, the 27,820th 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 kebab?
- Australia /kəˈbæb/
- UK /kɪˈbæb/
- /kɪˈbɑːb/
Kebab has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-au-kebab.ogg, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-kebab.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with kebab?
One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as kebab from its last stressed vowel (/æb/, British pronunciation):
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 kebab
- kebabs plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- kabaab
- kabob
- kebap
- kabab
- kebob
- kebabbing participle, present
- kebabbed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does kebab mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
AustraliaUKA hand-held dish consisting of slices of meat or fish roasted on an upright skewer, usually mixed with fresh vegetables and sauces and served in flatbread, especially a doner kebab.
- 2
USA shish kebab or any other food on a skewer.
- 3
IndiaA dish made from shaped minced meat, usually grilled on a skewer but sometimes formed into a patty and fried or baked.
- 4
A restaurant that sells kebabs
Let's go to the kebab after the club.
- 5
The outward growing portions of a shish kebab structure.
- 6
offensiveslangA Muslim, usually of southern European, Middle Eastern, or North African descent.
- 7
UKslangvulgarThe vulva.
- 8
A menu icon of three vertical dots.
verb
- 1
To roast in the style of a kebab.
- 2
slangTo stab or skewer.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Kebab in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense dish:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | kebab, kebap, kébab |
| German | Kebab, Kebap, Fleischspieß, Döner (doner kebab) |
| Portuguese | kebab, lanche grego |
| Spanish | kebab |
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 kebab come from?
Ultimately from Arabic كَبَاب (kabāb), partly through Hindustani (Hindi and Urdu), Punjabi, Persian and Turkish kebap. Doublet of cevapi. See the Arabic entry for more.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).