Which to use
“keen” is an adjective and “keys” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #44,278
- “keen” frequency rank
- #32,273
- “keys” frequency rank
- 76551
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | keen | keys |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Entusiasta. | Forma del plural de key. |
Where the eye mixes keen and keys
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses keen with keys
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: keen is /kiːn/ while keys is /kiːz/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 76551, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
keen is recorded at frequency rank #44,278, classified as anadj, pronounced /kiːn/. keys is at rank #32,273, tagged as anoun, pronounced /kiːz/.
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 76551, this pair ranks #17,556 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of keen vs keys
Shared letters: ek. Private to "keen": n. Private to "keys": sy.
"keen" · 4 letters · shape CVVC · "keys" · 4 letters · shape CVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "keen" and "keys" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "keen" vs "keys" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "keen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "keys" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #17,556 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "keen" and "keys" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "keen vs kin". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #17,556 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.