KGB

name

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"kgb" is a 3-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“KGB” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #19,629) as a proper noun. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#19,629
frequency rank, English
1,236
“K” headwords
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The Committee for State Security of the Soviet Union (the Soviet security service).

Corpus desk

Index EN-kgb · KGB · English

KGB · rank #19,629 · 0 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #19,629
  • LEN-MID 3 letters
  • VOW-0 0 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,236
  • PHOTO-FINISH jug

Nearest frequency peer: jug (-1 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.

Frequency neighbours of confusable “KGB”

Peers at similar corpus weight, separate from look-alike pairs below

corpus weight

What this shows Bars place “KGB” against nearest ranked English headwords, not a reprint of the confusable-pair desk.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

KGB vs kI
0% similar
KGB vs ky
0% similar
KGB vs ko
0% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for KGB
PropertyValue
HeadwordKGB
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechProper noun
Letters3
Frequency rank#19,629
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Corpus rank beside confusables of “KGB”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).KGBlands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “jug” (#19,628), “kinder” (#19,630), “Knoxville” (#19,631). Among 1,236 “K” headwords, “KGB” is #19,629. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for KGB is neighbouring look-alikes ("kI", "ky", …), not just typos; it is aproper noun. Frequency #19,629 among 1,236 “K” headwords. 2 recorded senses keep meaning in play.

KGB doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "kI", "ky", "ko", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Russian КГБ (KGB), acronym of Комите́т госуда́рственной безопа́сности (Komitét gosudárstvennoj bezopásnosti, “State Security Committee”). The correct English form is KGB, spelled K-G-B.

Definition

  1. 1
    The Committee for State Security of the Soviet Union (the Soviet security service).
  2. 2
    The security service of Belarus.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how KGB appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. President Putin's KGB roots have sadly informed a style of governance that is neither reformist nor particularly democratic. The common thread throughout his domestic and foreign policies is his effort to trade on fear -- the fears of Russians that their country is under attack from hostile external forces (Chechens, NATO or free marketeers); and the fear…
  2. But in 1967 Treholt's trenchant opposition to the Vietnam War attracted the attention of the KGB.

Etymology

From Russian КГБ (KGB), acronym of Комите́т госуда́рственной безопа́сности (Komitét gosudárstvennoj bezopásnosti, “State Security Committee”).

This word in other languages

KGB(Español)KGB(Français)KGB(Deutsch)

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 "KGB"?
"KGB" is spelled K-G-B.
What does "KGB" mean?
As a proper noun, "KGB" means: The Committee for State Security of the Soviet Union (the Soviet security service).
What words are commonly confused with "KGB"?
"KGB" is commonly confused with "kI", "ky", "ko". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
What is the origin of the word "KGB"?
From Russian КГБ (KGB), acronym of Комите́т госуда́рственной безопа́сности (Komitét gosudárstvennoj bezopásnosti, “State Security Committee”). See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "KGB", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 3 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

jug#19,628jog#19,626loo#19,636ofc#19,648

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list