| Key performance indicator | A key performance indicator (KPI) is a measure of performance to assess the success of a company or a certain activity the company is taking part in. |
| Keyline Or Match Key | A combination of numbers and letters usually beginning with the zip code, which is used as a rough household duplicate eliminator. |
| Keynesian beauty contest | A thought experiment that questioned the workings of the stock market. It described a hypothetical situation in which judges who were tasked with selecting the most beautiful participants in a beauty contest would vote differently than judges who were tasked in predicting the votes of the other judges. |
| Keypunching | The process whereby someone enters names and addresses and other data from hard copy (paper forms) onto a computer tape or disk. It is done on a typewriter-like keyboard into a small computer. Same as Data Entry. |
| Kickback | A secretive payment in exchange for action to the detriment of a third party. |
| Kill fee | A feature common to freelance writing contracts. It ensures that a partial payment will be made to authors whose work has been requested but is not ultimately used. |
