kiltvskiteWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“kilt” and “kite” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#48,629
“kilt” frequency rank
#49,177
“kite” frequency rank
97806
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature kilt kite
Definition Jupe courte fait traditionnellement de pure laine aux motifs colorés d’un tartan. Structure de pierres sèches longue de plusieurs centaines de mètres à plusieurs kilomètres formant un piège pour des animaux sauvages.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set kilt and kite apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
kilt
4 ch
kite

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. kilt (\kilt\) and kite (\kajt\) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 97806, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

kilt is recorded at frequency rank #48,629, classified as anoun, pronounced \kilt\. kite is at rank #49,177, tagged as anoun, pronounced \kajt\.

Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.

With a confusion score of 97806, this pair ranks #255 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of kilt vs kite

Shared letters: ikt. Private to "kilt": l. Private to "kite": e.

"kilt" · 4 letters · shape CVCC  ·  "kite" · 4 letters · shape CVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • kiltiklt · killt · kiltt · kitl · kkilt · klit
  • kiteikte · kiet · kitte · kkite · ktie

Frequency comparison

kilt#48,629
kite#49,177

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "kilt" and "kite" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\kilt\ versus \kajt\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "kilt" or "kite"?
"kilt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #48,629 in our French list, against #49,177 for "kite". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering kilt vs kite

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “kilt” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

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