keycard

noun

"keycard" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“keycard” is an uncommon English word, ranked #99,447 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#99,447
frequency rank, English
7
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A usually plastic card which stores a digital signature that is used to operate an electronic access control lock.

Key facts for keycard
PropertyValue
Headwordkeycard
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters7
Frequency rank#99,447
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “keycard” 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). keycard 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 keycard is 7 letters long, classified as a noun. Corpus data places it at rank #99,447 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "A usually plastic card which stores a digital signature that is used to operate an electronic access control lock.".

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for keycard, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. Our dataset records no confusable match here, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From key (“lock opener”) + card (“piece of plastic”). The correct English form is keycard, spelled K-E-Y-C-A-R-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    A usually plastic card which stores a digital signature that is used to operate an electronic access control lock.

Etymology

From key (“lock opener”) + card (“piece of plastic”).

Synonyms

card key

This word in other languages

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 "keycard"?
"keycard" is spelled K-E-Y-C-A-R-D.
What does "keycard" mean?
As a noun, "keycard" means: A usually plastic card which stores a digital signature that is used to operate an electronic access control lock.
What is the origin of the word "keycard"?
From key (“lock opener”) + card (“piece of plastic”). 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 “keycard”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is K-E-Y-C-A-R-D - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • 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