Which to use
“Kaye” is a name and “keyed” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #26,136
- “Kaye” frequency rank
- #33,301
- “keyed” frequency rank
- 59437
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Kaye | keyed |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A surname from Middle English, spelling variant of Kay. | simple past and past participle of key |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Kaye and keyed apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Kaye is /ˈkeɪ/ while keyed is /kiːd/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (name vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 59437, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Kaye is recorded at frequency rank #26,136, classified as aname, pronounced /ˈkeɪ/. keyed is at rank #33,301, tagged as averb, pronounced /kiːd/.
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 59437, this pair ranks #106,183 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of Kaye vs keyed
Shared letters: eky. Private to "Kaye": a. Private to "keyed": d.
"Kaye" · 4 letters · shape CVVV · "keyed" · 5 letters · shape CVVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Kaye" and "keyed" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "Kaye" or "keyed"?
Remembering Kaye vs keyed
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a name, it's “Kaye”; for a verb, it's “keyed”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Kaye” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable