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kip

/kɪp/noun, verb

kip is spelled K-I-P: 3 letters and one syllable. It appears 1.1 times per million words in written English, the 27,462nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data, counting Kip, the name). As a noun, kip means “The untanned hide of a young or small beast, such as a calf, lamb, or young goat” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of kip is kips.

How many letters and syllables are in kip?

Letters3: K-I-P
Syllables1 (from its American pronunciation)
In writing1.1 times per million words; the 27,462nd most frequent word form
Wrong spellings searchednone measured in search

Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).

How common is kip?

Kip appears 1.1 times per million words in written English, the 27,462nd most frequent word form in the list. The list counts every capitalisation together, so this includes Kip, the name.

Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).

How do you pronounce kip?

  • /kɪp/

Kip has one syllable (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-kip.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

Forms of kip

  • kips plural, present, singular, he/she/it
  • kipp
  • kippe
  • kyppe
  • kipping participle, present
  • kipped participle, past

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What does kip mean?

The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).

noun

  1. 1

    The untanned hide of a young or small beast, such as a calf, lamb, or young goat.

  2. 2

    A bundle or set of such hides.

  3. 3

    obsoleteA unit of count for skins, 30 for lamb and 50 for goat.

  4. 4

    The leather made from such hide.

  5. 5

    IrelandUKinformalA place to sleep; a rooming house; a bed.

  6. 6

    CommonwealthIrelandUKinformalSleep, snooze, nap, forty winks, doze.

    I’m just going for my afternoon kip.

  7. 7

    IrelandUKinformalA very untidy house or room.

  8. 8

    IrelandUKdatedinformalA brothel.

  9. 9

    IrelandA job.

  10. 10

    A unit of force equal to 1000 pounds-force (lbf) (4.44822 kilonewtons or 4448.22 newtons); occasionally called the kilopound.

  11. 11

    A unit of weight, used, for example, to calculate shipping charges, equal to half a US ton, or 1000 pounds.

  12. 12

    nonstandardrareA unit of mass equal to 1000 avoirdupois pounds.

  13. 13

    The unit of currency in Laos, divided into 100 att, symbol ₭, abbreviation LAK.

  14. 14

    AustraliaA piece of flat wood used to throw the coins in a game of two-up.

  15. 15

    A basic skill or maneuver in artistic gymnastics on the uneven bars, parallel bars, high bar and still rings used, for example, as a way of mounting the bar in a front support position, or achieving a handstand from a hanging position. In its basic form, the legs are swung forward and upward by bending the hips, then suddenly down again, which gives the upward impulse to the body.

  16. 16

    ScotlandA sharp-pointed hill; a projecting point, as on a hill.

verb

  1. 1

    UKinformalTo sleep; often with the connotation of a temporary or charitable situation, or one borne out of necessity.

    Don’t worry, I’ll kip on the sofabed.

  2. 2

    ScotlandTo snatch; take up hastily; filch

  3. 3

    obsoleteTo hold or keep (together)

  4. 4

    To conduct oneself; act

  5. 5

    To perform the kip maneuver.

noun

as KIP
  1. 1

    Initialism of kinetic impact round (baton round).

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

Kip in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

LanguageWords
Spanishsiesta (sleep, snooze, nap)
Germanpennen, schlafen, ratzen, pofen, knacken (to sleep, in a temporary, charitable, or…), Kip (unit of currency in Laos)
Frenchbascule (gymnastics: move or maneuver from below the…)

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 kip come from?

1325–75, Middle English kipp, from Middle Dutch kip, from Middle Low German kip (“pack, bundle of hides”).

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What to look up after kip