kaovskeWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: kao is a noun, ke is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“kao” is a noun and “ke” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#47,406
“kao” frequency rank
#14,717
“ke” frequency rank
62123
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature kao ke
Definition Champs Deuxième personne du singulier de l’indicatif présent du verbe kam.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set kao and ke apart are highlighted. They share 1 letter in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

3 ch
kao
2 ch
ke

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: kao is anoun and keaverb. On the page they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 62123, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

kao is recorded at frequency rank #47,406, classified as anoun. 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 62123, this pair ranks #88,715 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of kao vs ke

Shared letters: k. Private to "kao": ao. Private to "ke": e.

"kao" · 3 letters · shape CVV  ·  "ke" · 2 letters · shape CV

Frequency comparison

kao#47,406
ke#14,717

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "kao" and "ke" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "kao" is a noun and "ke" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "kao" or "ke"?
"ke" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #14,717 in our French list, against #47,406 for "kao". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering kao vs ke

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “kao”; for a verb, it's “ke”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “kao” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list