kick start
noun, verb
kick start is spelled K-I-C-K-S-T-A-R-T: 9 letters. As a noun, kick start means “A metal bar on a motorcycle used to start its engine” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of kick start is kick starts or kick-starts.
How many letters and syllables are in kick start?
| Letters | 9: K-I-C-K-S-T-A-R-T |
|---|---|
| In writing | a phrase: the frequency list counts single words |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Pairs people 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); Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026).
Words people confuse with kick start
Word pairs people search, with the monthly searches for “a vs b” (G: Google, B: Bing, United States).
Also written: kickstart (one word or two).
Sources: Google and Bing searches (September 2025 to August 2026, through DataForSEO); English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of kick start
- kick starts plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- kickstart
- kick-start
- kick starting participle, present
- kick started participle, past
- kick-starts plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- kick-starting participle, present
- kick-started participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does kick start mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A metal bar on a motorcycle used to start its engine.
- 2
An act of starting a motorcycle by quickly depressing the kick start with one's foot.
The motorcycle requires a kick start.
- 3
A fast or strong start; help with starting or beginning well.
As a kick start for the group, let's write up some ideas.
- 4
An impetus that starts or restarts some process.
verb
- 1
To start a motorcycle.
He kick started the motorcycle and took off.
- 2
To start or begin strongly or quickly.
To kick start your learning, let's summarize the basics.
- 3
To make (something) active, functional, or productive again; to reinvigorate (an activity, system, or process).
To kick start the economy with a large construction project.
noun
- 1
Alternative form of kick start.
Ten million dollars of seed money could provide the necessary kick-start for the initiative.
verb
- 1
Alternative form of kick start.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Kick start in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | démarreur au pied, pédale de mise en marche , démarrage au kick , début en beauté, démarrage du bon pied , coup de fouet |
| German | Kickstarter |
| Portuguese | pedal de arranque, pedal de partida |
| Spanish | pedal de arranque |
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 kick start come from?
From kick + start. Compare push-start.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).