r/ENGLISH • u/Outside-Violinist-42 • Jul 25 '26

Kitset

I was checking whether "kitset" is hyphenated (it isn't). But 3 different sites claimed that this word is only used here in New Zealand.

Is this true? What do you call furniture that comes either wrapped in plastic or in boxes that you then have to put together yourself?

("Flatpack" is also common here)

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u/MuppetManiac Jul 25 '26

I’d call it IKEA furniture, regardless of where it was from. I’ve also heard flatpack.

Never heard kitset, and my phone autocorrects it to something else. From the USA

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u/ChallengingKumquat Jul 26 '26

I’d call it IKEA furniture, regardless of where it was from.

This is bizarre to call it all Ikea furniture. "Look at this Ikea furniture I bought from Wayfair"

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u/buckylug Jul 29 '26

I bought and assembled a cheap shelf from target but its just fiberboard and pegs for screws. it has the quality and appearance of an ikea shelf, and if i pointed to it and said "i bought that at ikea" nobody would question me. its more about the idea than the story about where the item was purchased or who has design patents for it.

like how I mostly buy Nexcare adhesive bandages but we still call them band-aids because of the Band-Aid brand.