kelvin
/ˈkɛlvɪn/
"kelvin" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“kelvin” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #19,878 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #19,878
- frequency rank, English
- 6
- letters
- 9
- tracked misspellings
- 2
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - In the International System of Units, the base unit of thermodynamic temperature; ¹⁄_(273.16) of the thermodynamic temperature of the triple point of water.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | kelvin |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈkɛlvɪn/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Frequency rank | #19,878 |
| Misspellings tracked | 9 |
| Confusable pairs | 2 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “kelvin” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for kelvin is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈkɛlvɪn/. Corpus data places it at rank #19,878 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for kelvin, with forms such as "eklvin", "kelivn", and "kellvin". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "Kevin", "Klein", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.
Etymologically, the entry records: Named after Irish-born Scottish physicist William Thomson, Lord Kelvin. The correct English form is kelvin, spelled K-E-L-V-I-N.
Definition
- 1In the International System of Units, the base unit of thermodynamic temperature; ¹⁄_(273.16) of the thermodynamic temperature of the triple point of water.
- 2One degree of difference on this scale, as a unit interval.
- 3A measurement of color warmth defined by the temperature kelvin at which an incandescent blackbody would emit a given color.
Etymology
Named after Irish-born Scottish physicist William Thomson, Lord Kelvin.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: eklvin,kelivn,kellvin,kelvinn,kelvni,kelvvin,kevlin,kkelvin,klevin
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of kelvin - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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
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Using “kelvin”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is K-E-L-V-I-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈkɛlvɪn/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “Kevin” - see the side-by-side comparison. kelvin vs Kevin
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.