# keel vs kern

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### keel
*noun · IPA /kiːl/ · frequency rank #22,716*
A large beam along the underside of a ship’s hull from bow to stern.

### kern
*noun · IPA /kɜːn/ · frequency rank #23,580*
A corn; grain; kernel.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/keel-vs-kern