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keyword

Definition, pronunciation, etymology, and usage for the English word. Free spelling reference powered by Wiktionary.

Letters

7 characters

Language

English

word origin

Source

Wiktionary

open dictionary

Access

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Detailed reference entry for the English word "keyword", 7-letters, with pronunciation in International Phonetic Alphabet notation, etymology traced through Germanic and Romance roots where applicable, common misspelling variants catalogued from Wiktionary, and usage frequency ranked against an open word-frequency list covering the top 100,000 English words. PlainSpell covers English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German spelling with confusable-pair detection that highlights visually and phonetically similar words. This entry for "keyword" includes synonyms, antonyms, homophones, and cross-language translation pointers sourced from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org extract. Whether you are verifying the correct spelling of "keyword" for academic writing, checking homophone confusion, or exploring etymological origins, this page provides a citation-backed, free reference that requires no sign-up.

keyword is aEnglishnoun. It means: Any word used as the key to a code. Pronounced /ˈkiː.wɜːd/. Often confused with keyboard.

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 rank visualization

Position of keyword in English word frequency (lower rank = more common)

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for keyword is 7 letters long, classified as anoun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈkiː.wɜːd/. Corpus data places it at rank #19,879 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it.Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

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. Root origin matters for spelling because borrowed morphemes (Greek, Latin, Old French, Old English) carry their source-language orthographic conventions into modern English, which is why historical etymology is often the cleanest predictor of whether a cluster like "-ough", "-eau", or "-tion" will appear. For readers arriving here from a spelling check, the authoritative guidance is: the correct English form is keyword, spelled K-E-Y-W-O-R-D, and any other sequence of those letters, regardless of how natural it feels, is a misspelling in standard orthography.

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.

Etymology

From key + word.

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ekyword,kewyord,keyowrd,keywodr,keywordd,keyworrd,keywrod,keywword,keyyword,kkeyword,kyeword

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

Relative frequency of common misspelling types for keyword

Misspelling Variants of "keyword"

ekyword7kewyord7keyowrd7keywodr7keywordd8keyworrd8keywrod7keywword8
Misspelling Variants of "keyword"

Frequency rank: #19,879 in English

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.

Nearby English words

Other entries that begin with the letter K in our English index:

Explore PlainSpell

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.