K (or k) Abbreviation for kilobyte. It means 1,024 bytes. Similarly, 64k means 64 times 1,024 bytes, or 65,536 bytes (not 64,000). Leave no space between K and the preceding number, as in 128K of storage. The abbreviation K should not be used to mean 1,000.

Kansas Abbrev.: Kan. See state names.

Kansas City Use KANSAS CITY, Kan., or KANSAS CITY, Mo., in datelines to avoid confusion between the two.

karat See the carat, caret, karat entry.

Kelvin scale A scale of temperature based on, but different from, the Celsius scale. It is used primarily in science to record very high and very low temperatures. The Kelvin scale starts at zero and indicates the total absence of heat (absolute zero).

See Celsius and Fahrenheit.

Kennedy Space Center See John F. Kennedy Space Center.

Kentucky Abbrev.: Ky. Legally a commonwealth, not a state.

See state and state names.

kerosene Formerly a trademark, now a generic term.

ketchup Not catchup or catsup.

keynote address Also: keynote speech.

KGB Acceptable on first reference, but the story should contain a phrase identifying it as the former Russian secret police and intelligence agency.

kibbutz An Israeli collective settlement.

kids Use children unless you are talking about goats, or the use of kids as an informal synonym for children is appropriate in the context.

killer See the assassin, killer, murderer entry.

kilo- A prefix denoting 1,000 units of a measure. Move a decimal point three places to the right, adding zeros if necessary, to convert to the basic unit: 10.5 kilograms equals 10,500 grams.

kilocycles The new term is kilohertz.

kilogram The metric term for 1,000 grams.

See gram; metric system; and pound.

kilohertz Equals 1,000 hertz (1,000 cycles per second), replacing kilocycles as the correct term in applications such as broadcast frequencies.

kilometer The metric term for 1,000 meters.

See meter; metric system; and miles.

kiloton, kilotonnage A unit used to measure the power of nuclear explosions. One kiloton has the explosive force of 1,000 tons of TNT.

kilowatt-hour The amount of electrical energy consumed when 1,000 watts are used for one hour.

king Capitalize only when used before the name of royalty: King George VI. Continue in subsequent references that use the king’s given name: King George, not George.

See nobility and titles.

Kitty Litter A brand of absorbent material used in cat litter boxes. Use a generic term such as cat box litter.

Klan in America See Ku Klux Klan.

Kleenex A trademark for a brand of facial tissue.

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines A KLM airliner is acceptable in any reference.

Kmart No hyphen, no space, lowercase m. Headquarters is in Troy, Mich.

Knesset The Israeli parliament. See foreign legislative bodies.

knight See nobility.

Knights of Columbus K. of C. or the Knights may be used on second reference.

See the fraternal organizations and service clubs entry.

knot A knot is 1 nautical mile (6,076.10 feet) per hour. It is redundant to say knots per hour.

See nautical mile.

Kodak A trademark for cameras and other photographic products made by Eastman Kodak Co. of Rochester, N.Y.

Koran The sacred book of Muslims, who believe that it contains the words of Allah dictated to the prophet Mohammed through the angel Gabriel.

Korean names North Korean names are generally three separate words, each starting with a capital letter: Kim Il Sung. South Korean names are three words with the second two names hyphenated and a lowercase letter after the hyphen: Kim Young-sam.

Korean War But lowercase Korean conflict.

kosher Always lowercase.

Kriss Kringle Not Kris.

kudos It means credit or praise for an achievement.

Ku Klux Klan There are 42 separate organizations known as the Klan in America.

Kuomintang The Chinese Nationalist political party. Do not follow with the word party. Tang means party.

Kuril Islands Use in datelines after a community name in stories from these islands. Name an individual island, if needed, in the text.

Kuwait Stands alone in datelines.