kiss-ass

/ˈkɪsˌæs/

//ˈkɪsˌæs// noun

"kiss-ass" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“kiss-ass” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
8
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An obsequious person who tries to win the favor of someone, usually their superior.

Corpus desk

Index EN-kiss-ass · kiss-ass · English

kiss-ass · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "K" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for kiss-ass
PropertyValue
Headwordkiss-ass
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkɪsˌæs/
Letters8
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “kiss-ass” in English

kiss-assranks outside the top 100,000 English headwords, in the long tail of specialist, archaic, or seldom-used vocabulary, exactly the territory where a reader stops mid-sentence to double-check spelling.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

kiss-ass is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈkɪsˌæs/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "An obsequious person who tries to win the favor of someone, usually their superior.".

kiss-ass has no tracked misspelling variants, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From kiss + ass. The correct English form is kiss-ass, spelled K-I-S-S---A-S-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    An obsequious person who tries to win the favor of someone, usually their superior.

Etymology

From kiss + ass.

Synonyms

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "kiss-ass"?
"kiss-ass" is spelled K-I-S-S---A-S-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkɪsˌæs/.
What does "kiss-ass" mean?
As a noun, "kiss-ass" means: An obsequious person who tries to win the favor of someone, usually their superior.
How do you pronounce "kiss-ass"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "kiss-ass" is /ˈkɪsˌæs/. 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 "kiss-ass"?
From kiss + ass. 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list