Kane

/keɪn/

//keɪn// name

"kane" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“Kane” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #7,705 in English word frequency and used as a proper noun.

#7,705
frequency rank, English
4
letters
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A surname from Irish.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

Kane vs Ke
50% similar
Kane vs ken
25% similar
Kane vs kay
25% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for Kane
PropertyValue
HeadwordKane
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechProper noun
IPA/keɪn/
Letters4
Frequency rank#7,705
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Kane” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). Kane lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for Kane is 4 letters long, classified as a proper noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /keɪn/. Corpus data places it at rank #7,705 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for Kane, with forms such as "akne", "kaen", and "kanne". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "Ke", "ken", "kay", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: * As an Irish and Scottish Gaelic surname, from Ó Catháin (“descendant of Cathán”), Mac Catháin (“son of Cathán”), a name meaning "warrior," from cath (“battle”). Compare O'Kane and Keane. * As an English surname, variant of Cane. * As a Jewish surname, var… The correct English form is Kane, spelled K-A-N-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A surname from Irish.
  2. 2
    A place in the United States:
  3. 3
    A place in the United States:
  4. 4
    A place in the United States:

Etymology

* As an Irish and Scottish Gaelic surname, from Ó Catháin (“descendant of Cathán”), Mac Catháin (“son of Cathán”), a name meaning "warrior," from cath (“battle”). Compare O'Kane and Keane. * As an English surname, variant of Cane. * As a Jewish surname, variant of Kahane and Kanne. * As a German surname, Americanized from Köhn, Kohn. * As a Finnish surname, Americanized from Nykänen.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: akne,kaen,kanne,kkane,knae

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of Kane - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

akne2kaen2kanne1kkane1knae2
Edit distance from "Kane"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "Kane"?
"Kane" is spelled K-A-N-E. The IPA pronunciation is /keɪn/.
What does "Kane" mean?
As a proper noun, "Kane" means: A surname from Irish.
What words are commonly confused with "Kane"?
"Kane" is commonly confused with "Ke", "ken", "kay". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Kane"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Kane" is /keɪn/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "Kane"?
* As an Irish and Scottish Gaelic surname, from Ó Catháin (“descendant of Cathán”), Mac Catháin (“son of Cathán”), a name meaning "warrior," from cath (“battle”). Compare O'Kane and Keane. * As an English surname, variant of Cane. * As a Jewish su... See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “Kane”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is K-A-N-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /keɪn/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “Ke” - see the side-by-side comparison. Kane vs Ke
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list