Which to use
“Kern” and “keys” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,602
- “Kern” frequency rank
- #18,945
- “keys” frequency rank
- 21547
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Kern | keys |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | in der Mitte befindlicher Hauptbestandteil eines Ganzen; Basis, Zentrum | Plural des Substantivs key |
Where the eye mixes Kern and keys
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: Kern vs keys
A purely visual mix-up. Kern ([kɛʁn]) and keys ([kiːz]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 21547, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Kern is recorded at frequency rank #2,602, classified as anoun, pronounced [kɛʁn]. 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 21547, this pair ranks #1,884,981 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Kern vs keys
Shared letters: ek. Private to "Kern": nr. Private to "keys": sy.
"Kern" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "keys" · 4 letters · shape CVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Kern" for "keys" ever safe?
Frequency check: "Kern" vs "keys" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "Kern" 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 #1,884,981 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Kern" 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 #1,884,981 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.