Anatomy Of A Keychain

It's come to my attention that my usage of the word "keychain" is somewhat flawed. The term keychain technically refers to only one of several parts that make up what I think of as a keychain. In this post, I will be listing each part by name along with a brief description. There are three separate parts on this list, although some keychains can get by with only utilizing two of them.

 visual aid

a Rawcliffe pewter keychain from the Medieval Times dinner theater chain

Part 1: The Keyring
The term "keyring" specifically refers to a split ring, which I referenced in a previous post on Keychain Terminology as being one of the most common types of keychain "findings". As I explained in that post, not every keychain uses a split ring finding. But in my online research, I found the term 'keyring' being used in a generalized way to refer to the part of the keychain that holds the keys.

Part 2: The Keychain
In this context, the "keychain" is an actual chain that connects the part that holds the keys to a decorative or personalized ornament. In some cases, the chain used is a "snake chain" (which I mentioned in my Keychain Terminology post) rather than a standard chain. However, I have seen a lot of keychains in my time that don't actually have a chain part. In those examples, the part that holds the keys is directly connected to the decorative part using a jump ring finding. This brings me to the third and final keychain part.

Part 3: The Key Fob
The key fob is the decorative or personalized, ornamental part of a keychain. Whether it's printed with the name of a business or shaped like a cartoon character, it's generally the part that makes people want to collect keychains in the first place.

Despite me having discovered all of this information, I don't think you'll see me stop using the word "keychain" anytime soon. The fact of the matter is, I haven't been able to find a term that I can substitute which refers to the whole keychain, rather than just a part of it. So I guess I'll just have to keep using the word keychain the way I always have. But now, if someone asks me what the difference is between a keychain and a key fob, I'll be able to tell them. And so will you.

Signed, Treesa