Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

k-pop

/ˈkeɪˌpɑp/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.59 in modern English

Syllables: k-pop
IPA: /ˈkeɪˌpɑp/

12

Scrabble Score

4

Letters

2

Syllables

3

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

South Korean pop music influenced by Western styles.

Uncountable

noun

A lollipop containing the drug ketamine.

Slang

noun

Alternative letter-case form of K-pop.

Uncountable

Example Sentences

"Somehow, even I got sucked into this strange K-pop universe. Sure, the quality of the music is sometimes debatable."
"The K-pop septet BTS will return in spring 2026 with a new album and world tour."

Etymology

Etymology tree English Koreanclip. English K- English pop English J-popinflu. English K-pop From K- (“Korean”) + pop, by analogy with J-pop.

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈkeɪˌpɑp/
British English: /ˈkeɪˌpɒp/

Usage

Inflected Forms

Kpop (alternative) K-pops (plural)

Phrases

K-popaganda

Frequently Paired Words

Cantopop C-pop HK-pop H-pop Indopop I-pop J-pop L-pop

Questions

How do you pronounce k-pop?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈkeɪˌpɑp/.
What does k-pop mean?: South Korean pop music influenced by Western styles.
Where does k-pop come from?: Etymology tree English Koreanclip. English K- English pop English J-popinflu. English K-pop From K- (“Korean”) + pop, by analogy with J-pop.

How to pronounce k-pop

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “k-pop”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈkeɪˌpɑp/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “k-pop”.
Repeat and practice — Say “k-pop” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.