# key vs knew

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### key
*noun · IPA /kiː/ · frequency rank #788*
An object designed to open and close a lock.

### knew
*verb · IPA /ˈnjuː/ · frequency rank #635*
simple past of know

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-09-03.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/key-vs-knew