-keit

Etymology
Result of an etymologically wrong segmentation of two  in Upper German dialects of Middle High German:  (modern ) and : -ec-heit was interpreted as -e-keit. Later this phenomenon spread to other suffixes, and even to Central German dialects, in which the equivalents of -ig had never been pronounced with a final [k]-sound. (Compare the modern standard pronunciation of [-ɪç].) However, in some northern dialects of Central German, like Ripuarian,  is still absent or has only recently been introduced from standard German. Compare 🇨🇬.

Usage notes

 * See for notes on the use of the two variants.