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kick

Definition, pronunciation, etymology, and usage for the English word. Free spelling reference powered by Wiktionary.

Letters

4 characters

Language

English

word origin

Source

Wiktionary

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Detailed reference entry for the English word "kick", 4-letters, with pronunciation in International Phonetic Alphabet notation, etymology traced through Germanic and Romance roots where applicable, common misspelling variants catalogued from Hunspell error dictionaries, and usage frequency ranked against the top 100,000 English words in the Wordfreq corpus. PlainSpell covers English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German spelling with confusable-pair detection that highlights visually and phonetically similar words. This entry for "kick" includes synonyms, antonyms, homophones, and cross-language translation pointers sourced from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org extract. Whether you are verifying the correct spelling of "kick" for academic writing, checking homophone confusion, or exploring etymological origins, this page provides a citation-backed, free reference that requires no sign-up.

kick is aEnglishverb. It means: To strike or hit with the foot or other extremity of the leg. Pronounced /kɪk/. It ranks #1,950 in English word frequency. Often confused with kk and kid.

Key facts for kick
PropertyValue
Headwordkick
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/kɪk/
Letters4
Frequency rank#1,950
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency rank visualization

Position of kick in English word frequency (lower rank = more common)

Source: Wordfreq corpus

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for kick is 4 letters long, classified as averb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /kɪk/. Corpus data places it at rank #1,950 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text.Wiktionary records 14 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our Hunspell-derived misspelling index lists 6 documented wrong-spelling variants for kick, with forms such as "ikck", "kcik", and "kicck". Each variant represents a distinct typo pattern that appears often enough in corpora to be worth flagging, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution.It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "kk", "kid", "Kim", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English kyken (“to strike out with the foot”), from Old Norse kikna (“to sink at the knees”) and keikja (“to bend backwards”) (compare Old Norse keikr (“bent backwards, the belly jutting forward”)), from Proto-Germanic *kaikaz (“bent backwards”)… Root origin matters for spelling because borrowed morphemes (Greek, Latin, Old French, Old English) carry their source-language orthographic conventions into modern English, which is why historical etymology is often the cleanest predictor of whether a cluster like "-ough", "-eau", or "-tion" will appear. For readers arriving here from a spelling check, the authoritative guidance is: the correct English form is kick, spelled K-I-C-K, and any other sequence of those letters, regardless of how natural it feels, is a misspelling in standard orthography.

Definition

  1. 1
    To strike or hit with the foot or other extremity of the leg.
  2. 2
    To make a sharp jerking movement of the leg, as to strike something.
  3. 3
    To direct to a particular place by a blow with the foot or leg.
  4. 4
    To eject summarily.
  5. 5
    To forcibly remove a participant from an online activity.
  6. 6
    To overcome (a bothersome or difficult issue or obstacle); to free oneself of (a problem).
  7. 7
    To move or push suddenly and violently.
  8. 8
    To recoil; to push by recoiling.
  9. 9
    To attack (a piece) in order to force it to move.
  10. 10
    To accelerate quickly with a few pedal strokes in an effort to break away from other riders.
  11. 11
    To show opposition or resistance.
  12. 12
    To work a press by impact of the foot on a treadle.
  13. 13
    To reset (a watchdog timer).
  14. 14
    To reproach oneself for making a mistake or missing an opportunity.

Etymology

From Middle English kyken (“to strike out with the foot”), from Old Norse kikna (“to sink at the knees”) and keikja (“to bend backwards”) (compare Old Norse keikr (“bent backwards, the belly jutting forward”)), from Proto-Germanic *kaikaz (“bent backwards”), of uncertain origin. Perhaps from Proto-Germanic *kī-, *kij- (“to split, dodge, swerve sidewards”), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵeyH- (“to sprout, shoot”). Compare also Dutch kijken (“to look”), Middle Low German kīken (“to look, watch”). See keek.

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ikck,kcik,kicck,kickk,kikc,kkick

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

Relative frequency of common misspelling types for kick

Misspelling Variants of "kick"

ikck4kcik4kicck5kickk5kikc4kkick5
Misspelling Variants of "kick"

Frequency rank: #1,950 in English

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "kick"?
"kick" is spelled K-I-C-K. The IPA pronunciation is /kɪk/.
What does "kick" mean?
As a verb, "kick" means: To strike or hit with the foot or other extremity of the leg.
What words are commonly confused with "kick"?
"kick" is commonly confused with "kk", "kid", "Kim". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "kick"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "kick" is /kɪk/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "kick"?
From Middle English kyken (“to strike out with the foot”), from Old Norse kikna (“to sink at the knees”) and keikja (“to bend backwards”) (compare Old Norse keikr (“bent backwards, the belly jutting forward”)), from Proto-Germanic *kaikaz (“bent b... 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.

Nearby English words

Other entries that begin with the letter K in our English index:

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Data Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Frequency data from Wordfreq. Misspellings derived from Hunspell dictionaries.