Which to use
“kein” is a pronoun and “keys” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #119
- “kein” frequency rank
- #18,945
- “keys” frequency rank
- 19064
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | kein | keys |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | null, nichts, Null | Plural des Substantivs key |
Where the eye mixes kein and keys
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses kein with keys
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: kein is [kaɪ̯n] while keys is [kiːz]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (pronoun vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 19064, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
kein is recorded at frequency rank #119, classified as apron, pronounced [kaɪ̯n]. keys is at rank #18,945, tagged as anoun, pronounced [kiːz].
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 19064, this pair ranks #1,912,179 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of kein vs keys
Shared letters: ek. Private to "kein": in. Private to "keys": sy.
"kein" · 4 letters · shape CVVC · "keys" · 4 letters · shape CVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "kein" and "keys" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "kein" vs "keys" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "kein" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "keys" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,912,179 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "kein" and "keys" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "kaya vs keys". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #1,912,179 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.