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” has 5 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #206. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#206
frequency rank, English
1,236
“K” headwords
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To continue in (a course or mode of action); to not intermit or fall from; to uphold or maintain.

Corpus desk

Index EN-keep · keep · English

keep · rank #206 · 5 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-CORE #206
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 5 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,236
  • PHOTO-FINISH family

Nearest frequency peer: family (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Frequency neighbourhood for “keep”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “keep” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

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

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).keep lands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 5 spelling variants around keep (IPA /kiːp/), averb. Corpus frequency is #206 among 1,236 “K” headwords. Wiktionary lists 27 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

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.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how keep appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. to keep silence; to keep possession
  2. to keep one's word; to keep one's promise

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "keep", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

ever#204team#203sure#202feel#201

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (5 here; floor ≥5).

free5 variantsaway5 variantsname5 variantseach5 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "keep". Here's where to go from here.

  • "keep" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "KP". View pair
  • 5 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #206 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "K" letter cohort. K–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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