turnkey

/ˈtɜː(ɹ)nˌkiː/

//ˈtɜː(ɹ)nˌkiː// adj

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

The verdict

“turnkey” is uncommon English (frequency #50,861 among 3,151 “T” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#50,861
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Ready to use without further assembly or test; supplied in a state that is ready to turn on and operate (typically refers to an assembly that is outsourced for manufacture).

Corpus desk

Index EN-turnkey · turnkey · English

turnkey · rank #50,861 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #50,861
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH Turkestan

Nearest frequency peer: Turkestan (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “turnkey”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “turnkey” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for turnkey
PropertyValue
Headwordturnkey
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈtɜː(ɹ)nˌkiː/
Letters7
Frequency rank#50,861
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “turnkey” in English

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).turnkeyfalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “Turkestan” (#50,860), “TVA” (#50,862), “tumbleweed” (#50,859). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “turnkey” is #50,861. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

turnkey is uncommon English at frequency #50,861 among 3,151 “T” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˈtɜː(ɹ)nˌkiː/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Ready to use without further assembly or test; supplied in a state that is ready to turn on and operate (typically refers to an assembly that is outsourced for manufacture).".

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for turnkey, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: From turn + key. The correct English form is turnkey, spelled T-U-R-N-K-E-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Ready to use without further assembly or test; supplied in a state that is ready to turn on and operate (typically refers to an assembly that is outsourced for manufacture).

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. They wanted a turnkey solution for the entire system, but we could only provide the enclosure.
  2. Third World countries no longer want to purchase nuclear projects on a turn-key basis; they want to receive advanced technical training as well.

Etymology

From turn + 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 "turnkey"?
"turnkey" is spelled T-U-R-N-K-E-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈtɜː(ɹ)nˌkiː/.
What does "turnkey" mean?
As an adjective, "turnkey" means: Ready to use without further assembly or test; supplied in a state that is ready to turn on and operate (typically refers to an assembly that is outsourced for manufacture).
How do you pronounce "turnkey"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "turnkey" is /ˈtɜː(ɹ)nˌkiː/. 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 "turnkey"?
From turn + key. 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 "turnkey", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list