keystone

/ˈkiː.stəʊn/

//ˈkiː.stəʊn// noun

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

"keystone" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“keystone” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #16,057. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#16,057
frequency rank, English
1,236
“K” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The top stone of an arch.

Corpus desk

Index EN-keystone · keystone · English

keystone · rank #16,057 · 12 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #16,057
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,236
  • PHOTO-FINISH jars

Nearest frequency peer: jars (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “keystone”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “keystone” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

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).

keystone vs ketone
75% similar

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

Key facts for keystone
PropertyValue
Headwordkeystone
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkiː.stəʊn/
Letters8
Frequency rank#16,057
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “keystone”

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).keystonelands 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 “jars” (#16,056), “knitting” (#16,058), “ISS” (#16,055). Among 1,236 “K” headwords, “keystone” is #16,057. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around keystone (IPA /ˈkiː.stəʊn/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #16,057 among 1,236 “K” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for keystone, with forms such as "ekystone", "kesytone", and "keysotne". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "ketone", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From key + stone. Definition 4 (retail) possibly originated in the jewelry industry in the magazine called "Jewelers' Circular-Keystone". The correct English form is keystone, spelled K-E-Y-S-T-O-N-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    The top stone of an arch.
  2. 2
    Something on which other things depend for support.
  3. 3
    A native or resident of the American state of Pennsylvania.
  4. 4
    A retail price that is double the cost price; a markup of 100%.
  5. 5
    The combination of the shortstop and second baseman.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The tunnel, which is 1,000 yd. long, had been closed to passenger traffic since November 17, 1949, after some of the keystones had worked loose.
  2. Tension between empirical and theoretical knowledge is keystone to sociological and to organizational theories, as early as in Marx's and Weber's frameworks.

Etymology

From key + stone. Definition 4 (retail) possibly originated in the jewelry industry in the magazine called "Jewelers' Circular-Keystone".

This word in other languages

clave(Español)clef de voûte(Français)Schlussstein(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ekystone
  • kesytone
  • keysotne
  • keysstone
  • keystnoe
  • keystoen
  • keystonne
  • keysttone
  • keytsone
  • keyystone
  • kkeystone
  • kyestone

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of keystone - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

ekystone2kesytone2keysotne2keysstone1keystnoe2keystoen2keystonne1keysttone1
Edit distance from "keystone"

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 "keystone"?
"keystone" is spelled K-E-Y-S-T-O-N-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkiː.stəʊn/.
What does "keystone" mean?
As a noun, "keystone" means: The top stone of an arch.
What words are commonly confused with "keystone"?
"keystone" is commonly confused with "ketone". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "keystone"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "keystone" is /ˈkiː.stəʊn/. 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 "keystone"?
From key + stone. Definition 4 (retail) possibly originated in the jewelry industry in the magazine called "Jewelers' Circular-Keystone". 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 "keystone", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

knitting#16,058implicit#16,049Lutheran#16,069grooming#16,038

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

grieving12 variantsfinalist12 variantsendeavour12 variantsdivinity12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list