Kurd

/kɜːd/

//kɜːd// noun

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

The verdict

“Kurd” is uncommon English (frequency #55,543 among 9,255 “K” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#55,543
frequency rank, English
9,255
“K” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A member of the linguistically and culturally distinct people who speak Kurdish and mainly inhabit those parts of Turkey, Iran, Iraq and Syria sometimes known as Kurdistan.

Key facts for Kurd
PropertyValue
HeadwordKurd
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/kɜːd/
Letters4
Frequency rank#55,543
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Kurd” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

Kurd is uncommon English at frequency #55,543 among 9,255 “K” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /kɜːd/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A member of the linguistically and culturally distinct people who speak Kurdish and mainly inhabit those parts of Turkey, Iran, Iraq and Syria sometimes known as Kurdistan.".

Kurd doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: Attested in English since roughly 1600, from Kurdish کورد (kurd) and Classical Persian کُرْد (kurd), from Middle Persian [Book Pahlavi needed] (gurd /⁠kurd⁠/), ultimately of unknown origin. More at Kurds. The correct English form is Kurd, spelled K-U-R-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    A member of the linguistically and culturally distinct people who speak Kurdish and mainly inhabit those parts of Turkey, Iran, Iraq and Syria sometimes known as Kurdistan.

Etymology

Attested in English since roughly 1600, from Kurdish کورد (kurd) and Classical Persian کُرْد (kurd), from Middle Persian [Book Pahlavi needed] (gurd /⁠kurd⁠/), ultimately of unknown origin. More at Kurds.

This word in other languages

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 "Kurd"?
"Kurd" is spelled K-U-R-D. The IPA pronunciation is /kɜːd/.
What does "Kurd" mean?
As a noun, "Kurd" means: A member of the linguistically and culturally distinct people who speak Kurdish and mainly inhabit those parts of Turkey, Iran, Iraq and Syria sometimes known as Kurdistan.
How do you pronounce "Kurd"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Kurd" is /kɜːd/. 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 "Kurd"?
Attested in English since roughly 1600, from Kurdish کورد (kurd) and Classical Persian کُرْد (kurd), from Middle Persian [Book Pahlavi needed] (gurd /⁠kurd⁠/), ultimately of unknown origin. More at Kurds. 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.

Using “Kurd”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is K-U-R-D - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /kɜːd/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list