Which to use
“key” is an adjective and “ko” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #10,384
- “key” frequency rank
- #14,398
- “ko” frequency rank
- 24782
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | key | ko |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | indispensável | nome dos kana こ e コ |
Where the eye mixes key and ko
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Why the eye confuses key with ko
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: key is /kiː/ while ko is /ˈko/. 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 (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 24782, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
key is recorded at frequency rank #10,384, classified as anadj, pronounced /kiː/. ko is at rank #14,398, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈko/.
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 24782, this pair ranks #44,710 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of key vs ko
Shared letters: k. Private to "key": ey. Private to "ko": o.
"key" · 3 letters · shape CVV · "ko" · 2 letters · shape CV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "key" for "ko" ever safe?
Which is more common, "key" or "ko"?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "key" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "ko" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #44,710 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "key" and "ko" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "K7 vs ko". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #44,710 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.