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KB. Abbreviation for kilobyte. It means 1,024 bytes. Leave no space between KB and the preceding number: 128KB of storage. The abbreviation is acceptable on first reference. Don't use K to mean 1,000 as in $25K.

kilowatt hour. A kilowatt hour is the amount of electrical energy consumed when 1,000 watts are used for one hour. Use kilowatt hour to measure production or consumption. The abbreviation kwh is acceptable on second reference.

kind of, sort of. In casual conversation, those phrases often mean "rather" or "somewhat": It's kind of (somewhat) cloudy today. I'm sort of (rather) tired. In written material, restrict their use to mean "a species of" or "subcategory of": That is the kind of development King County needs.

KingCareSM. See Healthy IncentivesSM, KingCareSM.

King County. All publications, letterhead, websites, signs, vehicles and other materials produced by King County departments and divisions must make clear they are part of King County government--through correct use of the county logo and, when possible, printed text: for example, the King County division or, on first reference, King County's Emergency Management Division; King County International Airport; the King County Solid Waste Division. See capitalization, correspondence, county, logo. Also see the King County graphic standards (internal link).

King County Executive. The formal title of the county executive. Capitalize County Executive before a name and when used in place of the officeholder's name: County Executive Ronald Michaels, the County Executive proposed. Lowercase the title in other uses: Four people are running for county executive in the primary election. Avoid using the Executive alone when referring to the County Executive. See capitalization.

Martin Luther King Jr. The federal holiday honoring the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is on the third Monday in January. Don't include commas before or after Jr. Including the titles before King's name is optional. Martin Luther King Jr. Way may be abbreviated as M.L. King Jr. Way or MLK Jr. Way after first reference and in maps, charts and tables. King County was officially renamed after King in April 2005. Details on the new King County logo honoring the civil rights leader. See holidays.

King County International Airport/Boeing Field. Always include International when giving the official name of this King County facility; use Boeing Field when possible or appropriate in the context. If needed for limited space in charts, tables and maps, abbreviate as Airpt. On second reference, use Boeing Field, the airport or KCIA. See airport. Also see terminology of the King County Department of Transportation (internal link).

knickknack. Preferred spelling. No hyphen.

know-how.

kudos. It means "credit or praise for an achievement. The word is singular and takes singular verbs. There's no such thing as a kudo. Praise is simpler, less pretentious synonym.

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