keyvsKloWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

“key” and “Klo” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#8,577
“key” frequency rank
#6,211
“Klo” frequency rank
14788
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature key Klo
Definition Schlüssel Toilette

Where the eye mixes key and Klo

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.

3 ch
key
3 ch
Klo

Why the eye confuses key with Klo

A purely visual mix-up. key ([kiː]) and Klo ([kloː]) 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 14788, 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]. Klo is at rank #6,211, tagged as anoun, pronounced [kloː].

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 14788, this pair ranks #1,948,741 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of key vs Klo

Shared letters: k. Private to "key": ey. Private to "Klo": lo.

"key" · 3 letters · shape CVV  ·  "Klo" · 3 letters · shape CCV

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "key" for "Klo" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([kiː] versus [kloː]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "key" vs "Klo" - which ranks higher?
"Klo" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #6,211 in our German list, against #8,577 for "key". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Eye-level mix-up between "key" and "Klo" 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 "Klo" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,948,741 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "key" and "Klo" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "key vs Koi". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #1,948,741 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list