kibitz
/ˈkɪbɪts/verb
kibitz is spelled K-I-B-I-T-Z: 6 letters. It appears about once in every 54 million words in written English, the 228,409th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, kibitz means “To make small talk or idle chatter” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in kibitz?
| Letters | 6: K-I-B-I-T-Z |
|---|---|
| In writing | about once in every 54 million words; the 228,409th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is kibitz?
Kibitz appears about once in every 54 million words in written English, the 228,409th 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 kibitz?
- US /ˈkɪbɪts/
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-au-kibitz.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of kibitz
- kibitzes present, singular, he/she/it
- kibitzing participle, present
- kibitzed participle, past
- kibbitz
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does kibitz mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To make small talk or idle chatter.
Louise and I used to head down to the coffee shop and just sit for hours and kibitz.
- 2
To give unsolicited or unwanted advice or make unhelpful or idle comments, especially to someone playing a game.
Quit kibitzing! You're giving away my hand!
- 3
To watch a card or board game.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Kibitz in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| Spanish | parlotear, cotorrear , meter la nariz |
| Portuguese | dar pitaco |
| German | kiebitzen |
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 kibitz come from?
From Yiddish קיבעצן (kibetsn), cognate to German kiebitzen (“to look on”), from German Kiebitz (“lapwing”), from Middle High German gibiz (“plover”), imitative of its cry. Compare peewit.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).