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 spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set key and ko apart are highlighted. They share 1 letter in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
key and ko form a confusable pair in the Portuguese index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. 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.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "key" and "ko" be used interchangeably?
Remembering key vs ko
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “key”; for a noun, it's “ko”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “key” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable