Which to use
“keys” and “ky” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,699
- “keys” frequency rank
- #10,074
- “ky” frequency rank
- 13773
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | keys | ky |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | plural of key | Alternative form of kye (“cocoa”). |
Letter map: keys vs ky
Shared letters muted; letters that set keys and ky apart highlighted. Shared run: 2.
Corpus notes: keys and ky
keys and ky are indexed as a confusable English pair. We have no recorded pronunciation or part of speech for both members, so the spelling overlap is what we can show you: they differ by 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 13773, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
keys is recorded at frequency rank #3,699, classified as anoun, pronounced /kiːz/. ky is at rank #10,074, tagged as anoun.
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 13773, this pair ranks #473,895 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of keys vs ky
Shared letters: ky. Private to "keys": es. Private to "ky": -.
"keys" · 4 letters · shape CVVC · "ky" · 2 letters · shape CV
Known mistypes of this pair
- keys ← ekys · kesy · keyss · keyys · kkeys · kyes
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "keys" for "ky" ever safe?
Which is more common, "keys" or "ky"?
What to do next
Pair "keys" vs "ky" is on the table, pick a follow-up below.
- Full dictionary entry for "keys" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "ky" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #473,895 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "keys" and "ky" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Kop vs ky". 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 #473,895 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.