keg

/kɛɡ/

//kɛɡ// noun

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

"keg" is a 3-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“keg” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #26,479) as a noun. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#26,479
frequency rank, English
1,236
“K” headwords
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A round, traditionally wooden container of lesser capacity than a barrel, often used to store beer.

Corpus desk

Index EN-keg · keg · English

keg · rank #26,479 · 0 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #26,479
  • LEN-MID 3 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,236
  • PHOTO-FINISH Keenan

Nearest frequency peer: Keenan (-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 neighbours of confusable “keg”

Peers at similar corpus weight, separate from look-alike pairs below

corpus weight

What this shows Bars place “keg” against nearest ranked English headwords, not a reprint of the confusable-pair desk.

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).

keg vs kI
33% similar
keg vs ky
33% similar
keg vs ko
33% similar

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

Key facts for keg
PropertyValue
Headwordkeg
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/kɛɡ/
Letters3
Frequency rank#26,479
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Corpus rank beside confusables of “keg”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).keglands 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. Same rarity band neighbours include “Keenan” (#26,478), “Kissinger” (#26,481), “issuer” (#26,476). Among 1,236 “K” headwords, “keg” is #26,479. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for keg is neighbouring look-alikes ("kI", "ky", …), not just typos; it is anoun pronounced /kɛɡ/. Frequency #26,479 among 1,236 “K” headwords. Gloss: "A round, traditionally wooden container of lesser capacity than a barrel, often used to store beer.".

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for keg, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "kI", "ky", "ko", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English kag, from Old Norse kaggi (“keg”), likely a diminutive of Proto-Germanic *kagô (“bush, branch, stalk, stump”). Cognate with Icelandic kaggi (“keg; cask”), Norwegian kagg (“keg”), Swedish kagge (“keg”), Low German kag (“vessel; craft”), D… The correct English form is keg, spelled K-E-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    A round, traditionally wooden container of lesser capacity than a barrel, often used to store beer.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. He bore on his shoulder a stout keg, that seemed full of liquor, and made signs for Rip to approach and assist him with his load.

Etymology

From Middle English kag, from Old Norse kaggi (“keg”), likely a diminutive of Proto-Germanic *kagô (“bush, branch, stalk, stump”). Cognate with Icelandic kaggi (“keg; cask”), Norwegian kagg (“keg”), Swedish kagge (“keg”), Low German kag (“vessel; craft”), Dutch kaag (“vessel; craft”). Compare also English cag and chag. The modern form keg with /ɛ/ is due to a dialectal raising of /a///æ/ to /ɛ/ before velars (cf. fleg); the expected form is preserved in dialectal /kæɡ/, while /keɪɡ/ reflects further raising that occurred in some dialects.

This word in other languages

barril(Español)tonnelet(Français)Fass(Deutsch)barrica(Português)

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 "keg"?
"keg" is spelled K-E-G. The IPA pronunciation is /kɛɡ/.
What does "keg" mean?
As a noun, "keg" means: A round, traditionally wooden container of lesser capacity than a barrel, often used to store beer.
What words are commonly confused with "keg"?
"keg" is commonly confused with "kI", "ky", "ko". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "keg"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "keg" is /kɛɡ/. 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 "keg"?
From Middle English kag, from Old Norse kaggi (“keg”), likely a diminutive of Proto-Germanic *kagô (“bush, branch, stalk, stump”). Cognate with Icelandic kaggi (“keg; cask”), Norwegian kagg (“keg”), Swedish kagge (“keg”), Low German kag (“vessel; ... 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 "keg", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 3 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

KMS#26,482koi#26,483HHS#26,459Mau#26,500

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list