Which to use
“keeps” and “keys” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,161
- “keeps” frequency rank
- #3,699
- “keys” frequency rank
- 5860
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | keeps | keys |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | plural of keep | plural of key |
Where the eye mixes keeps and keys
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: keeps vs keys
A purely visual mix-up. keeps (/kiːps/) and keys (/kiːz/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 5860, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
keeps is recorded at frequency rank #2,161, classified as anoun, pronounced /kiːps/. keys is at rank #3,699, tagged as anoun, pronounced /kiːz/.
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 5860, this pair ranks #513,732 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of keeps vs keys
Shared letters: eks. Private to "keeps": p. Private to "keys": y.
"keeps" · 5 letters · shape CVVCC · "keys" · 4 letters · shape CVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "keeps" for "keys" ever safe?
Which is more common, "keeps" or "keys"?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "keeps" and "keys" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "keeps" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "keys" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #513,732 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "keeps" and "keys" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "kerb vs keys". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #513,732 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.