Which to use
“kan” is a noun and “ke” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #21,371
- “kan” frequency rank
- #14,717
- “ke” frequency rank
- 36088
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | kan | ke |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Prince commandant chez les Mongols (autrefois appelés Tartares), les chefs d’État de Perse d’origine mongole, etc. | Deuxième personne du singulier de l’indicatif présent du verbe kam. |
Where the eye mixes kan and ke
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Look-alike desk: kan vs ke
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: kan is \kɑ̃\ while ke is \ˈke\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 36088, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
kan is recorded at frequency rank #21,371, classified as anoun, pronounced \kɑ̃\. ke is at rank #14,717, tagged as averb, pronounced \ˈke\.
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 36088, this pair ranks #272,085 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of kan vs ke
Shared letters: k. Private to "kan": an. Private to "ke": e.
"kan" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "ke" · 2 letters · shape CV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "kan" for "ke" ever safe?
Frequency check: "kan" vs "ke" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "kan" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "ke" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #272,085 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "kan" and "ke" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "kan vs ky". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #272,085 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.