Which to use
“kan” is a noun and “key” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #21,371
- “kan” frequency rank
- #18,240
- “key” frequency rank
- 39611
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | kan | key |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Prince commandant chez les Mongols (autrefois appelés Tartares), les chefs d’État de Perse d’origine mongole, etc. | Dominant, principal. |
Where the eye mixes kan and key
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Why the eye confuses kan with key
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: kan is \kɑ̃\ while key is \kiː\. 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 (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 39611, 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\. key is at rank #18,240, tagged as anadj, pronounced \kiː\.
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 39611, this pair ranks #246,687 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of kan vs key
Shared letters: k. Private to "kan": an. Private to "key": ey.
"kan" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "key" · 3 letters · shape CVV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "kan" for "key" ever safe?
In ordinary French text, does "kan" or "key" show up more?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "kan" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "key" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #246,687 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "kan" and "key" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "kan vs ky". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #246,687 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.