kowtow

/ˈkaʊˌtaʊ/

//ˈkaʊˌtaʊ// verb

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

"kowtow" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“kowtow” is uncommon English (frequency #78,761 among 1,236 “K” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#78,761
frequency rank, English
1,236
“K” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To kneel and bow low enough to touch one’s forehead to the ground.

Corpus desk

Index EN-kowtow · kowtow · English

kowtow · rank #78,761 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #78,761
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,236
  • PHOTO-FINISH knowest

Nearest frequency peer: knowest (-6 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 “kowtow”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for kowtow
PropertyValue
Headwordkowtow
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈkaʊˌtaʊ/
Letters6
Frequency rank#78,761
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “kowtow” 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).kowtowfalls in this rarity band:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “knowest” (#78,755), “Knossos” (#78,754), “Lakeville” (#78,768). Among 1,236 “K” headwords, “kowtow” is #78,761. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

kowtow is uncommon English at frequency #78,761 among 1,236 “K” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /ˈkaʊˌtaʊ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for kowtow in our index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From either Cantonese 叩頭 /叩头 (kau³ tau⁴) or Mandarin 叩頭 /叩头 (kòutóu). Literally, “knock head”. The correct English form is kowtow, spelled K-O-W-T-O-W.

Definition

  1. 1
    To kneel and bow low enough to touch one’s forehead to the ground.
  2. 2
    To grovel, act in a very submissive manner; to show obeisance to (someone or something) in such a manner; to bow.
  3. 3
    To bow very deeply.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how kowtow appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. When the weather turned cold, the tears that he shed would become frozen like veins; the blood on his forehead from kowtowing would also freeze and would not drip.
  2. I suppose you're going to be nice to Odie and kowtow to Jon and lick the mailman's boots! I don't like you already.

Etymology

From either Cantonese 叩頭 /叩头 (kau³ tau⁴) or Mandarin 叩頭 /叩头 (kòutóu). Literally, “knock head”.

This word in other languages

se prosterner(Français)kriechen(Deutsch)

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 "kowtow"?
"kowtow" is spelled K-O-W-T-O-W. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkaʊˌtaʊ/.
What does "kowtow" mean?
As a verb, "kowtow" means: To kneel and bow low enough to touch one’s forehead to the ground.
How do you pronounce "kowtow"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "kowtow" is /ˈkaʊˌtaʊ/. 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 "kowtow"?
From either Cantonese 叩頭 /叩头 (kau³ tau⁴) or Mandarin 叩頭 /叩头 (kòutóu). Literally, “knock head”. 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 "kowtow", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

lavage#78,773kayser#78,748Levert#78,780lowing#78,792

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list