kiva

/ˈkiː.və/

//ˈkiː.və// noun

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

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

The verdict

“kiva” is uncommon English (frequency #56,849 among 1,236 “K” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#56,849
frequency rank, English
1,236
“K” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A ceremonial underground chamber in a Pueblo village.

Corpus desk

Index EN-kiva · kiva · English

kiva · rank #56,849 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #56,849
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,236
  • PHOTO-FINISH kitted

Nearest frequency peer: kitted (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “kiva”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “kiva” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for kiva
PropertyValue
Headwordkiva
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkiː.və/
Letters4
Frequency rank#56,849
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “kiva” in English

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).kivafalls in this rarity band:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “kitted” (#56,848), “kneed” (#56,850), “kissy” (#56,847). Among 1,236 “K” headwords, “kiva” is #56,849. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

kiva is uncommon English at frequency #56,849 among 1,236 “K” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈkiː.və/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A ceremonial underground chamber in a Pueblo village.".

kiva has no tracked misspelling variants, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Hopi kíva. The correct English form is kiva, spelled K-I-V-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    A ceremonial underground chamber in a Pueblo village.

Etymology

Borrowed from Hopi kíva.

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 "kiva"?
"kiva" is spelled K-I-V-A. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkiː.və/.
What does "kiva" mean?
As a noun, "kiva" means: A ceremonial underground chamber in a Pueblo village.
How do you pronounce "kiva"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "kiva" is /ˈkiː.və/. 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 "kiva"?
Borrowed from Hopi kíva. 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 "kiva", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

jibe#56,832Lett#56,874ikon#56,820lulz#56,882

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list