Turn-key or turnkey?
turn-key is an adjective meaning “Alternative form of turnkey”; turnkey is an adjective meaning “Ready to use without further assembly or test; supplied in a state that is…”. turn-key is written with a hyphen and turnkey as one word; they are used differently.
What is the difference between turn-key and turnkey?
| turn-key | turnkey | |
|---|---|---|
| Part of speech | adjective | adjective, noun, verb |
| Meaning | Alternative form of turnkey | Ready to use without further assembly or test; supplied in a state that is ready to turn on and operate (typically refers to an assembly that is outsourced for… A system that is supplied ready to switch on and operate To supply a turnkey product; to supply something fully assembled and ready to use |
| Example | none recorded | They wanted a turnkey solution for the entire system, but we could only provide the enclosure |
| Pronunciation | not recorded | /ˈtɜː(ɹ)nˌkiː/ |
| In writing | not counted (the list counts single words) | about once in every 3 million words |
Sources: turn-key and turnkey in the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0); written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
Every current meaning of turn-key and turnkey
turn-key
- 1
Alternative form of turnkey
turnkey
- 1
Ready to use without further assembly or test; supplied in a state that is ready to turn on and operate (typically refers to an assembly that is outsourced for manufacture)
They wanted a turnkey solution for the entire system, but we could only provide the enclosure
- 2
A system that is supplied ready to switch on and operate
- 3
To supply a turnkey product; to supply something fully assembled and ready to use
We can sell you all the parts, or we can turnkey the entire unit
- 4
datedA warder or jailer; a keeper of the keys in a prison
Source: the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0); obsolete, archaic, dialect and rare senses left out.
Which is more common, turn-key or turnkey?
turn-key is a phrase, which the list of single words does not count; turnkey about once in every 3 million words.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How many people search turn-key vs turnkey?
“turn-key vs turnkey” is searched about 10 times a month on Google and 10 on Bing in the United States. Google counts close variants of a query together (“turnkey vs turn-key”, “turn-key or turnkey”).
Sources: Google Ads keyword data through DataForSEO and Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, the average month from September 2025 to August 2026.