key

[kiː]

/[kiː]/ noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

The verdict

“key” is a regularly-used German word, ranked #8,577 in German word frequency and used as a noun.

#8,577
frequency rank, German
3
letters
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Schlüssel

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

key vs km
33% similar
key vs kg
33% similar
key vs KW
0% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for key
PropertyValue
Headwordkey
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[kiː]
Letters3
Frequency rank#8,577
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “key” sits in German frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). key lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The German entry for key is 3 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [kiː]. Corpus data places it at rank #8,577 in overall German word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 11 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

No misspelling variants are generated for key in our index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable German rules. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "km", "kg", "KW", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct German form is key, spelled K-E-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Schlüssel
  2. 2
    Chiffrierschlüssel, Chiffre, Kennzahl, Passwort
  3. 3
    Taste
  4. 4
    flache Insel (aus Korallen)
  5. 5
    Legende, Zeichenerklärung, Lösungsschlüssel
  6. 6
    Tonart
  7. 7
    ein Keil
  8. 8
    der Schlussstein in einem Rundbogen
  9. 9
    Samara, Flügelfrucht
  10. 10
    Passfeder
  11. 11
    die Klappe an einem Blasinstrument

Synonyms

caylegend

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 German corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "key"?
"key" is spelled K-E-Y. The IPA pronunciation is [kiː].
What does "key" mean?
As a noun, "key" means: Schlüssel
What words are commonly confused with "key"?
"key" is commonly confused with "km", "kg", "KW". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "key"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "key" is [kiː]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "key" come from?
"key" is a German word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “key”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct German spelling is K-E-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [kiː] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “km” - see the side-by-side comparison. key vs km
  • Browse more German words and confusable pairs in the same reference. German words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list