keyword

/ˈkiː.wɜːd/

//ˈkiː.wɜːd// noun

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

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

The verdict

“keyword” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #19,879. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#19,879
frequency rank, English
1,236
“K” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Any word used as the key to a code.

Corpus desk

Index EN-keyword · keyword · English

keyword · rank #19,879 · 11 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #19,879
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,236
  • PHOTO-FINISH kelvin

Nearest frequency peer: kelvin (-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 “keyword”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “keyword” 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).

keyword vs keyboard
75% similar

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

Key facts for keyword
PropertyValue
Headwordkeyword
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkiː.wɜːd/
Letters7
Frequency rank#19,879
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “keyword”

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).keywordlands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “kelvin” (#19,878), “Kolkata” (#19,880), “kart” (#19,877). Among 1,236 “K” headwords, “keyword” is #19,879. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around keyword (IPA /ˈkiː.wɜːd/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #19,879 among 1,236 “K” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for keyword, with forms such as "ekyword", "kewyord", and "keyowrd". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "keyboard", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From key + word. The correct English form is keyword, spelled K-E-Y-W-O-R-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any word used as the key to a code.
  2. 2
    Any word used in a reference work to link to other words or other information.
  3. 3
    Any important word in a text or document, which may be linked to other words or other information, or listed in the metadata for searches to find.
  4. 4
    A reserved word used to identify a specific command, function, etc.
  5. 5
    Any word that occurs in a text more often than normal.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Each function has an entry address which must be quoted after the USR keyword.
  2. Since C++11, the auto keyword is used to tell the compiler to deduce the actual type of a variable that is being declared from its initializer.

Etymology

From key + word.

This word in other languages

clave(Español)mot-clé(Français)Schlüsselwort(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ekyword
  • kewyord
  • keyowrd
  • keywodr
  • keywordd
  • keyworrd
  • keywrod
  • keywword
  • keyyword
  • kkeyword
  • kyeword

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of keyword - 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.

ekyword2kewyord2keyowrd2keywodr2keywordd1keyworrd1keywrod2keywword1
Edit distance from "keyword"

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 "keyword"?
"keyword" is spelled K-E-Y-W-O-R-D. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkiː.wɜːd/.
What does "keyword" mean?
As a noun, "keyword" means: Any word used as the key to a code.
What words are commonly confused with "keyword"?
"keyword" is commonly confused with "keyboard". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "keyword"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "keyword" is /ˈkiː.wɜːd/. 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 "keyword"?
From key + word. 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 "keyword", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Kolkata#19,880looming#19,887imitate#19,863McKenna#19,898

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

impulses11 variantsmediator11 variantsmockery11 variantsGodfrey11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list