kit
/ˈkɪt/noun, verb
kit is spelled K-I-T: 3 letters and one syllable. It appears 26 times per million words in written English, the 3,479th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data, counting Kit, the name). As a noun, kit means “A circular wooden vessel, made of hooped staves” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of kit is kits.
How many letters and syllables are in kit?
| Letters | 3: K-I-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 |
| In writing | 26 times per million words; the 3,479th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in 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).
How common is kit?
Kit appears 26 times per million words in written English, the 3,479th most frequent word form in the list. The list counts every capitalisation together, so this includes Kit, 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 kit?
- /ˈkɪt/
- [ˈkʰɪt]
Kit has one syllable.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-kit.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of kit
- kits plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- kitting participle, present
- kitted participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does kit mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A circular wooden vessel, made of hooped staves.
- 2
A kind of basket made especially from straw of rushes, especially for holding fish; by extension, the contents of such a basket or similar container, used as a measure of weight.
He was pushing a barrow on the fish dock, wheeling aluminium kits which, when full, each contain 10 stone of fish.
- 3
A collection of items forming the equipment of a soldier, carried in a knapsack.
- 4
Any collection of items needed for a specific purpose, especially for use by a workman, or personal effects packed for travelling.
Always carry a good first-aid kit.
- 5
A collection of parts sold for the buyer to assemble.
I built the entire car from a kit.
- 6
UKThe standard set of clothing, accessories and equipment worn by players.
- 7
UKinformalClothing.
Get your kit off and come to bed.
- 8
informalA full software distribution, as opposed to a patch or upgrade.
- 9
A kitten (young cat).
- 10
A cat in general.
- 11
A kit fox (Vulpes macrotis).
- 12
A young fox.
- 13
A young beaver.
- 14
A young ferret.
- 15
A young skunk.
- 16
A young rabbit.
- 17
Synonym of kit violin.
- 18
A flock of pigeons, especially domesticated, trained pigeons and especially when flying together.
verb
- 1
To assemble or collect something into kits.
We need to kit the parts for the assembly by Friday, so that manufacturing can build the tool.
- 2
To equip (somebody) with something.
phrase
- 1
Initialism of keep in touch.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Kit in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| Portuguese | equipamento, equipagem , kit, jogo |
| French | trousse, ensemble, jeu |
| Spanish | juego, enselle , kit |
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 kit come from?
From Middle English kyt, kytt, kytte, from Middle Dutch kitte (“a wooden vessel made of hooped staves”). Related to Dutch kit (“tankard”) (see below). The further etymology is unknown. Perhaps from Proto-Germanic *kitjō-, *kut-, which would be related to the root of Dutch kot (“ramshackle house”), itself of non-Indo-European origin. The transfer of meaning to the contents of a soldier's knapsack dates to the late 18th century, extended use of any collection of necessaries used for travelling dates to the first half of the 19th century.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).