keufsvskeysWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“keufs” and “keys” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#42,970
“keufs” frequency rank
#26,075
“keys” frequency rank
69045
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature keufs keys
Definition Pluriel de keuf. Pluriel de key.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set keufs and keys apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
keufs
4 ch
keys

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. keufs (\kœf\) and keys (\ˈkiːz\) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 69045, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

keufs is recorded at frequency rank #42,970, classified as anoun, pronounced \kœf\. keys is at rank #26,075, tagged as anoun, pronounced \ˈkiːz\.

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 69045, this pair ranks #56,697 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of keufs vs keys

Shared letters: eks. Private to "keufs": fu. Private to "keys": y.

"keufs" · 5 letters · shape CVVCC  ·  "keys" · 4 letters · shape CVVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • keufsekufs · kefus · keuffs · keufss · keusf · kkeufs · kuefs
  • keysekys · kesy · keyss · keyys · kkeys · kyes

Frequency comparison

keufs#42,970
keys#26,075

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "keufs" and "keys" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\kœf\ versus \ˈkiːz\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "keufs" or "keys"?
"keys" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #26,075 in our French list, against #42,970 for "keufs". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering keufs vs keys

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “keufs” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list