kiwi
/ˈkiːwi/noun, adjective, verb
kiwi is spelled K-I-W-I: 4 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 2.1 times per million words in written English, the 18,811th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, kiwi means “A flightless bird of the order Apterygiformes native to New Zealand” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of kiwi is kiwis.
How many letters and syllables are in kiwi?
| Letters | 4: K-I-W-I |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 2.1 times per million words; the 18,811th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is kiwi?
Kiwi appears 2.1 times per million words in written English, the 18,811th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce kiwi?
- /ˈkiːwi/
Kiwi has 2 syllables (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)-Pohewatanga-kiwi_(New_Zealand).wav, En-au-kiwi.ogg, En-us-Kiwi.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with kiwi?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as kiwi.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: wiki.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of kiwi
- kiwis plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- more kiwi comparative
- most kiwi superlative
- kiwiing participle, present
- kiwi-ing participle, present
- kiwied participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does kiwi mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A flightless bird of the order Apterygiformes native to New Zealand.
- 2
Alternative letter-case form of Kiwi (“a person from New Zealand”).
- 3
informalA New Zealand dollar.
- 4
A kiwifruit (Actinidia chinensis var. deliciosa).
- 5
A green-yellow colour, like that of kiwifruit flesh (also called kiwi green).
- 6
slangA member of the air force who does not fly.
- 7
slangA testicle.
- 8
slangAny kind of black shoe polish.
verb
- 1
slangTo polish (boots) with black shoe polish.
noun
- 1
informalA New Zealander.
adjective
- 1
informalOf or from New Zealand.
adjective
- 1
informalAlternative letter-case form of Kiwi (“of or from New Zealand”)
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Kiwi in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense bird:
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 kiwi come from?
Borrowed from Māori kiwi.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).