Kolkata
কলকাতা
kohl-KAH-tah
Kolkata (কলকাতা) is a Bengali-origin word used in Indian English, meaning capital of West Bengal and former British Indian capital; called Calcutta until 2001. In crosswords it is the 7-letter answer KOLKATA (7).
Meaning & usage
Kolkata is the capital of West Bengal and was the capital of British India until 1911. Officially renamed in 2001 from the colonial "Calcutta" to the Bengali "Kolkata", it is the cultural capital of Bengali India — home of the Bengal Renaissance, Rabindranath Tagore, Satyajit Ray, the College Street book bazaar, and the Durga Puja that turns the city into an open-air gallery every autumn.
In a sentence
Every October Kolkata transforms for Durga Puja.
Common spelling variants
- Calcutta
- Kalikata
Kolkata is the English spelling used in MG Mini puzzles.
Kolkata as a crossword answer
Kolkata is a 7-letter answer. A typical clue:
“Capital of West Bengal and former British Indian capital; called Calcutta until 2001” (7)
Know a word we’re missing? Submit a word.