kind

/kaɪnd/

//kaɪnd// noun

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

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

The verdict

“kind” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #337. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#337
frequency rank, English
1,236
“K” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A type, race or category; a group of entities that have common characteristics such that they may be grouped together.

Corpus desk

Index EN-kind · kind · English

kind · rank #337 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-CORE #337
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,236
  • PHOTO-FINISH five

Nearest frequency peer: five (-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 neighbourhood for “kind”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “kind” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

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).

kind vs kit
50% similar
kind vs kun
50% similar
kind vs kip
50% similar

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

Key facts for kind
PropertyValue
Headwordkind
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/kaɪnd/
Letters4
Frequency rank#337
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “kind” sits in English frequency

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).kindlands 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 “five” (#336), “maybe” (#338), “face” (#335). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around kind (IPA /kaɪnd/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #337 among 1,236 “K” headwords. Wiktionary lists 10 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for kind, with forms such as "iknd", "kidn", and "kindd". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "kit", "kun", "kip", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English kynde, kinde, from Old English cynd, ġecynd (“inherent nature, disposition, kind, gender, generation, race”), from Proto-West Germanic *kundi, from Proto-Germanic *kinþiz, related to Proto-Germanic *kunją (“race, kin”) and Old English ce… The correct English form is kind, spelled K-I-N-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    A type, race or category; a group of entities that have common characteristics such that they may be grouped together.
  2. 2
    A makeshift or otherwise atypical specimen.
  3. 3
    One's inherent nature; character, natural disposition.
  4. 4
    Family, lineage.
  5. 5
    Manner.
  6. 6
    Goods or services used as payment, as e.g. in barter.
  7. 7
    Equivalent means used as response to an action.
  8. 8
    Each of the two elements of the communion service, bread and wine.
  9. 9
    The type of a type constructor or a higher-order type operator.
  10. 10
    Food in a particular category.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. What kind of (a) person are you?
  2. This is a strange kind of tobacco.

Etymology

From Middle English kynde, kinde, from Old English cynd, ġecynd (“inherent nature, disposition, kind, gender, generation, race”), from Proto-West Germanic *kundi, from Proto-Germanic *kinþiz, related to Proto-Germanic *kunją (“race, kin”) and Old English cennan (“to bear, give birth”). Cognate with Old High German gikunt (“nature, kind”), Icelandic kind (“race, species, kind”). Doublet of gens, genesis, and jati. See also kin.

Synonyms

genresorttypederivativegenerationoffspringchild

This word in other languages

género(Español)genre(Français)Art(Deutsch)tipo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • iknd
  • kidn
  • kindd
  • kinnd
  • kkind
  • knid

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of kind - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

iknd2kidn2kindd1kinnd1kkind1knid2
Edit distance from "kind"

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 "kind"?
"kind" is spelled K-I-N-D. The IPA pronunciation is /kaɪnd/.
What does "kind" mean?
As a noun, "kind" means: A type, race or category; a group of entities that have common characteristics such that they may be grouped together.
What words are commonly confused with "kind"?
"kind" is commonly confused with "kit", "kun", "kip". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "kind"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "kind" is /kaɪnd/. 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 "kind"?
From Middle English kynde, kinde, from Old English cynd, ġecynd (“inherent nature, disposition, kind, gender, generation, race”), from Proto-West Germanic *kundi, from Proto-Germanic *kinþiz, related to Proto-Germanic *kunją (“race, kin”) and Old ... 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 "kind", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

five#336face#335hope#346area#325

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).

news6 variantsusing6 variantsshit6 variantsvideo6 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "kind". Here's where to go from here.

  • "kind" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "kit". View pair
  • 6 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #337 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "K" letter cohort. K–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list