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 eye mixes k and key
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: k is /keɪ/ while key is /kiː/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “k” sits inside “key”, and the parts of speech differ too (character vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. 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 #525,876 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of k vs key
Shared letters: k. Private to "k": -. Private to "key": ey.
"k" · 1 letters · shape C · "key" · 3 letters · shape CVV