Which to use
“key” and “keys” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #8,577
- “key” frequency rank
- #18,945
- “keys” frequency rank
- 27522
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | key | keys |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Schlüssel | Plural des Substantivs key |
Where the eye mixes key and keys
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: key vs keys
A purely visual mix-up. key ([kiː]) 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 differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “key” sits inside “keys”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 27522, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
key is recorded at frequency rank #8,577, classified as anoun, pronounced [kiː]. 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 27522, this pair ranks #1,800,410 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of key vs keys
Shared letters: eky. Private to "key": -. Private to "keys": s.
"key" · 3 letters · shape CVV · "keys" · 4 letters · shape CVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- keys ← ekys · kesy · keyss · keyys · kkeys · kyes
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "key" for "keys" ever safe?
Which is more common, "key" or "keys"?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "key" and "keys" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "key" 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 #1,800,410 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "key" 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 #1,800,410 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.