Which to use
“k” is a character and “key” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #1,310
- “k” frequency rank
- #788
- “key” frequency rank
- 2098
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | k | key |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | The eleventh letter of the English alphabet, called kay and written in the Latin script. | An object designed to open and close a lock. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set k and key apart are highlighted. They share 1 letter in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
k and key form a confusable pair in the English index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “k” sits inside “key” - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 2098, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
k is recorded at frequency rank #1,310, classified as acharacter, pronounced /keɪ/. key is at rank #788, tagged as anoun, pronounced /kiː/.
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 2098, this pair ranks #525,873 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "k" and "key" be used interchangeably?
Remembering k vs key
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a character, it's “k”; for a noun, it's “key”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “k” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable