kiswahili

\ki.swa.i.li\

/\ki.swa.i.li\/ noun

The verdict

“kiswahili” is uncommon French (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency French
9
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Langue vernaculaire bantoue parlée en Afrique orientale, et influencée par l’arabe.

Corpus desk

Index FR-kiswahili · kiswahili · French

kiswahili · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "K" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for kiswahili
PropertyValue
Headwordkiswahili
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\ki.swa.i.li\
Letters9
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “kiswahili” sits in French frequency

kiswahili falls outside the top-100,000 ranked French words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

kiswahili is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed \ki.swa.i.li\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Langue vernaculaire bantoue parlée en Afrique orientale, et influencée par l’arabe.".

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for kiswahili, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct French form is kiswahili, spelled K-I-S-W-A-H-I-L-I.

Definition

  1. 1
    Langue vernaculaire bantoue parlée en Afrique orientale, et influencée par l’arabe.

Synonyms

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). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of May 6, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "kiswahili"?
"kiswahili" is spelled K-I-S-W-A-H-I-L-I. The IPA pronunciation is \ki.swa.i.li\.
What does "kiswahili" mean?
As a noun, "kiswahili" means: Langue vernaculaire bantoue parlée en Afrique orientale, et influencée par l’arabe.
How do you pronounce "kiswahili"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "kiswahili" is \ki.swa.i.li\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "kiswahili" come from?
"kiswahili" is a French word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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.
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