keyedvskeypadWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: keyed is a verb, keypad is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“keyed” is a verb and “keypad” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#33,301
“keyed” frequency rank
#35,375
“keypad” frequency rank
68676
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature keyed keypad
Definition simple past and past participle of key A small board with keys primarily used for tactile input into a machine.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set keyed and keypad apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
keyed
6 ch
keypad

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

keyed and keypad form a confusable pair in the English index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 68676, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

keyed is recorded at frequency rank #33,301, classified as averb, pronounced /kiːd/. keypad is at rank #35,375, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈkiːpæd/.

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 68676, this pair ranks #57,820 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Frequency comparison

keyed#33,301
keypad#35,375

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "keyed" and "keypad" be used interchangeably?
No, "keyed" and "keypad" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering keyed vs keypad

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “keyed”; for a noun, it's “keypad”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “keyed” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list