kris

noun

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

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

The verdict

“kris” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #12,090. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#12,090
frequency rank, English
1,236
“K” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A traditional Indonesian, Malaysian, or Filipino sword or dagger having a tapering, usually serpentine blade.

Corpus desk

Index EN-kris · kris · English

kris · rank #12,090 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #12,090
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,236
  • PHOTO-FINISH Kobe

Nearest frequency peer: Kobe (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “kris”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “kris” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

kris vs KS
0% similar
kris vs Kyi
25% similar
kris vs Kyiv
25% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for kris
PropertyValue
Headwordkris
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters4
Frequency rank#12,090
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “kris”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).krislands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “Kobe” (#12,089), “Laurie” (#12,091), “Kirby” (#12,088). Among 1,236 “K” headwords, “kris” is #12,090. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around kris, anoun. Corpus frequency is #12,090 among 1,236 “K” headwords. Dominant gloss: "A traditional Indonesian, Malaysian, or Filipino sword or dagger having a tapering, usually serpentine blade.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for kris, with forms such as "kirs", "kkris", and "kriss". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "KS", "Kyi", "Kyiv", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Malay keris. Doublet of kalis. Recognized as part of English ca. 1580. The correct English form is kris, spelled K-R-I-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    A traditional Indonesian, Malaysian, or Filipino sword or dagger having a tapering, usually serpentine blade.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Anne Talbot looked demurely ravishing, as was her intention, in a very low-cut evening frock of bottle-green, choker of Kelantan silver, earrings in the shape of krises.

Etymology

Borrowed from Malay keris. Doublet of kalis. Recognized as part of English ca. 1580.

This word in other languages

criss(Français)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • kirs
  • kkris
  • kriss
  • krris
  • krsi
  • rkis

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of kris - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

kirs2kkris1kriss1krris1krsi2rkis2
Edit distance from "kris"

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 "kris"?
"kris" is spelled K-R-I-S.
What does "kris" mean?
As a noun, "kris" means: A traditional Indonesian, Malaysian, or Filipino sword or dagger having a tapering, usually serpentine blade.
What words are commonly confused with "kris"?
"kris" is commonly confused with "KS", "Kyi", "Kyiv". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
What is the origin of the word "kris"?
Borrowed from Malay keris. Doublet of kalis. Recognized as part of English ca. 1580. 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 "kris", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Kobe#12,089Katy#12,086maze#12,102helm#12,064

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).

Jessie6 variantsNaomi6 variantsoptic6 variantsHague6 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list