keno

/ˈkiːnəʊ/

//ˈkiːnəʊ// noun

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

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

The verdict

“keno” is uncommon English (frequency #57,492 among 9,255 “K” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#57,492
frequency rank, English
9,255
“K” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A gambling game, a variety of lotto, played with balls or knobs, numbered, and cards also numbered.

Key facts for keno
PropertyValue
Headwordkeno
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkiːnəʊ/
Letters4
Frequency rank#57,492
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “keno” 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). keno lands here:

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

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

Rare enough to double-check

keno is uncommon English at frequency #57,492 among 9,255 “K” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈkiːnəʊ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A gambling game, a variety of lotto, played with balls or knobs, numbered, and cards also numbered.".

keno has no tracked misspelling variants, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From French quine, with reference to a set of five winning lottery numbers. The correct English form is keno, spelled K-E-N-O.

Definition

  1. 1
    A gambling game, a variety of lotto, played with balls or knobs, numbered, and cards also numbered.

Etymology

From French quine, with reference to a set of five winning lottery numbers.

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 "keno"?
"keno" is spelled K-E-N-O. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkiːnəʊ/.
What does "keno" mean?
As a noun, "keno" means: A gambling game, a variety of lotto, played with balls or knobs, numbered, and cards also numbered.
How do you pronounce "keno"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "keno" is /ˈkiːnəʊ/. 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 "keno"?
From French quine, with reference to a set of five winning lottery numbers. 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 “keno”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is K-E-N-O - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈkiːnəʊ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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