kilo

/ˈkiːləʊ/

//ˈkiːləʊ// noun

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

"kilo" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“kilo” has 5 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #24,489. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#24,489
frequency rank, English
1,236
“K” headwords
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Clipping of kilogram.

Corpus desk

Index EN-kilo · kilo · English

kilo · rank #24,489 · 5 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #24,489
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 5 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,236
  • PHOTO-FINISH juror

Nearest frequency peer: juror (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “kilo”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “kilo” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

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).

kilo vs ko
50% similar
kilo vs KL
0% similar
kilo vs Kim
25% similar

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

Key facts for kilo
PropertyValue
Headwordkilo
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkiːləʊ/
Letters4
Frequency rank#24,489
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “kilo”

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).kilolands 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 “juror” (#24,488), “kinship” (#24,490), “L2” (#24,492). Among 1,236 “K” headwords, “kilo” is #24,489. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 5 spelling variants around kilo (IPA /ˈkiːləʊ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #24,489 among 1,236 “K” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for kilo, with forms such as "iklo", "killo", and "kiol". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "ko", "KL", "Kim", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct English form is kilo, spelled K-I-L-O.

Definition

  1. 1
    Clipping of kilogram.
  2. 2
    Alternative letter-case form of Kilo from the NATO/ICAO Phonetic Alphabet.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. The San Juan market is Mexico City's most famous deli of exotic meats, where an adventurous shopper can hunt down hard-to-find critters […]. But the priciest items in the market aren't the armadillo steaks or even the bluefin tuna. That would be the frozen chicatanas – giant winged ants – at around $500 a kilo.

This word in other languages

kilo(Español)kilo(Français)Kilo(Deutsch)quilo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • iklo
  • killo
  • kiol
  • kkilo
  • klio

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of kilo - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

iklo2killo1kiol2kkilo1klio2
Edit distance from "kilo"

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 "kilo"?
"kilo" is spelled K-I-L-O. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkiːləʊ/.
What does "kilo" mean?
As a noun, "kilo" means: Clipping of kilogram.
What words are commonly confused with "kilo"?
"kilo" is commonly confused with "ko", "KL", "Kim". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "kilo"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "kilo" is /ˈkiːləʊ/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "kilo" come from?
"kilo" is a English word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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 "kilo", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

lids#24,497lube#24,500eyre#24,442Egan#24,435

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (5 here; floor ≥5).

hippo5 variantsMoira5 variantsPisa5 variantsbhai5 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list