keep

/kiːp/

//kiːp// verb

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

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

The verdict

“keep” is in the everyday core of English, ranked #206 in English word frequency and used as a verb.

#206
frequency rank, English
4
letters
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To continue in (a course or mode of action); to not intermit or fall from; to uphold or maintain.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

keep vs KP
0% similar
keep vs key
50% similar
keep vs ken
50% similar

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

Key facts for keep
PropertyValue
Headwordkeep
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/kiːp/
Letters4
Frequency rank#206
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “keep” 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). keep 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 keep is 4 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /kiːp/. Corpus data places it at rank #206 in overall English word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 27 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 keep, with forms such as "ekep", "keepp", and "kep". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "KP", "key", "ken", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English kepen (“to keep, guard, look after, watch”), from Old English cēpan (“to seize, hold, observe”), from Proto-West Germanic *kōpijan, from Proto-Germanic *kōpijaną (“to look, heed, watch, observe”) (compare West Frisian kypje (“to look”)),… The correct English form is keep, spelled K-E-E-P.

Definition

  1. 1
    To continue in (a course or mode of action); to not intermit or fall from; to uphold or maintain.
  2. 2
    To remain faithful to a given promise or word.
  3. 3
    To hold the status of something.
  4. 4
    To hold the status of something.
  5. 5
    To hold the status of something.
  6. 6
    To hold the status of something.
  7. 7
    To hold the status of something.
  8. 8
    To hold the status of something.
  9. 9
    To hold the status of something.
  10. 10
    To hold the status of something.
  11. 11
    To hold the status of something.
  12. 12
    To hold the status of something.
  13. 13
    To hold the status of something.
  14. 14
    To hold the status of something.
  15. 15
    To hold or be held in a state.
  16. 16
    To hold or be held in a state.
  17. 17
    To hold or be held in a state.
  18. 18
    To hold or be held in a state.
  19. 19
    To hold or be held in a state.
  20. 20
    To wait for, keep watch for.
  21. 21
    To act as wicket-keeper.
  22. 22
    To take care; to be solicitous; to watch.
  23. 23
    To be in session; to take place.
  24. 24
    To observe; to adhere to; to fulfill; to not swerve from or violate.
  25. 25
    To visit (a place) often; to frequent.
  26. 26
    To observe or celebrate (a holiday).
  27. 27
    To put (something) back (to its original location or appropriate place); to put away.

Etymology

From Middle English kepen (“to keep, guard, look after, watch”), from Old English cēpan (“to seize, hold, observe”), from Proto-West Germanic *kōpijan, from Proto-Germanic *kōpijaną (“to look, heed, watch, observe”) (compare West Frisian kypje (“to look”)), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵab-, *ǵāb- (“to look after”) (compare Lithuanian žẽbti (“to eat reluctantly”), Russian забо́та (zabóta, “care, worry”)). The dialectal sense of the verb meaning “to put back” or “put away” may be analyzed as a semantic loan from a local language—compare Welsh cadw and Mandarin 收 (shōu).

Synonyms

retainpreserveprotect

This word in other languages

guardar(Español)garder(Français)behalten(Deutsch)manter(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ekep,keepp,kep,kepe,kkeep

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of keep - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

ekep2keepp1kep1kepe2kkeep1
Edit distance from "keep"

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 "keep"?
"keep" is spelled K-E-E-P. The IPA pronunciation is /kiːp/.
What does "keep" mean?
As a verb, "keep" means: To continue in (a course or mode of action); to not intermit or fall from; to uphold or maintain.
What words are commonly confused with "keep"?
"keep" is commonly confused with "KP", "key", "ken". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "keep"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "keep" is /kiːp/. 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 "keep"?
From Middle English kepen (“to keep, guard, look after, watch”), from Old English cēpan (“to seize, hold, observe”), from Proto-West Germanic *kōpijan, from Proto-Germanic *kōpijaną (“to look, heed, watch, observe”) (compare West Frisian kypje (“t... 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 “keep”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is K-E-E-P - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /kiːp/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “KP” - see the side-by-side comparison. keep vs KP
  • 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