kelp
/kɛlp/noun, verb
kelp is spelled K-E-L-P: 4 letters and one syllable. It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 34,063rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, kelp means “Any of several large brown algae seaweeds (especially of order Laminariales)” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of kelp is kelps.
How many letters and syllables are in kelp?
| Letters | 4: K-E-L-P |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 34,063rd 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 kelp?
Kelp appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 34,063rd 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 kelp?
- US /kɛlp/
Kelp has one syllable (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: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-kelp.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with kelp?
One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as kelp from its last stressed vowel (/ɛlp/):
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 kelp
- kelps plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- kelping participle, present
- kelped participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does kelp mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Any of several large brown algae seaweeds (especially of order Laminariales).
- 2
The calcined ashes of seaweed, formerly used in glass and iodine manufacture.
- 3
A hook or crook by which a pot is hung over a fire.
- 4
obsoleteA sheath.
verb
- 1
To gather kelp.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Kelp in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense large seaweed of order Laminariales:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | laminaire, kelp, goémon, varech |
| German | Seetang, Tang, Kelp |
| Portuguese | alga marinha |
| Spanish | quelpo, kelp |
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 kelp come from?
Inherited from Middle English *kelpe, culpe, *kilpe (Early Modern English kilpe), of unclear origin, though the attested forms point to Old English *cylp, possibly from Proto-West Germanic *kulpi, from Proto-Germanic *kulpiz (“lump, boll”, referencing the airsacks of species such as bladderwrack and knotweed), potentially a substrate term connected to Latin globus (“globe”) and Proto-Germanic *klumpô (“clump”). If the above theory is accepted, cognate with Low German Kulp, Külp, Kulpe (“lump in the eye, ball, thick nose”), Norwegian Nynorsk kulp (“short tube”), and Swedish kulp (“stout person”
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).