keepsvsKrebsWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: keeps is a noun, Krebs is a name, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“keeps” is a noun and “Krebs” is a name - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#2,161
“keeps” frequency rank
#36,635
“Krebs” frequency rank
38796
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature keeps Krebs
Definition plural of keep A surname from German.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set keeps and Krebs apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
keeps
5 ch
Krebs

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: keeps is anoun and Krebsaname. On the page they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 38796, 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/. Krebs is at rank #36,635, tagged as aname.

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 38796, this pair ranks #282,658 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of keeps vs Krebs

Shared letters: eks. Private to "keeps": p. Private to "Krebs": br.

"keeps" · 5 letters · shape CVVCC  ·  "Krebs" · 5 letters · shape CCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • keepsekeps · keepps · keepss · keesp · kepes · keps · kkeeps
  • Krebskerbs · kkrebs · krbes · krebbs · krebss · kresb · krrebs · rkebs

Frequency comparison

keeps#2,161
Krebs#36,635

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "keeps" and "Krebs" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "keeps" is a noun and "Krebs" a name, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "keeps" or "Krebs"?
"keeps" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,161 in our English list, against #36,635 for "Krebs". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering keeps vs Krebs

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “keeps”; for a name, it's “Krebs”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “keeps” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list