I know it isn’t technically the same thing, but writing きゆう and getting the answer wrong when it should be きゅう is the most frustrating thing ever.
Maybe show it is wrong, but not count against you?
The sound of those two words are totally different though. Why should it be correct?
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These are totally different words, and it’s not anywhere near correct, unfortunately.
You will get a handle on this pretty quick. They’re totally different to type and pronounce: kiyuu vs kyuu, One is three morae, the other is two.
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I understand your frustration, when I first started I had a similar issue.
I would respond that what you are saying is something similar to:
Why does it matter if I spell weather or whether. They both sound the same. And in that case you are correct. but the meanings are different.
Hiragana and Katakana are the alphabet for japanese. So using ‘ki+yu’ is not the same as using ‘kyu’. Sometimes a ‘C’ might sound like an ‘S’ but doesn’t mean you can just swap it out.
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You will have tons and tons of similar experiences on your journey, so just buckle up and get ready for it!
Missing a う at the end of a word or an お or having long vowels like きって instead of きて
しゅ instead of しゅう, きゅう instead of きゆう etc, etc, etc. Just because they look similar doesn’t mean they are even close to the same thing, and that’s why it always has to count against you, no exceptions.
Good luck, and welcome! 
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Thanks for the explanations everyone! I’ll continue to be frustrated but now I know they did it this way. I’m glad to know there is a reason, and not just that they were being picky!
Thanks again!
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If you didn’t know, you can produce the little ゅ by typing xyu or the whole syllable きゅ by typing kyu.
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All of the words that are pronounced きゆう are quite rare, so it’s unlikely that anyone would think you actually meant them in context, but they do exist.
杞憂 - needless anxiety
帰幽 - death (in shintoism)
癸酉 - 10th of the sexagenary cycle
己酉 - 46th of the sexagenary cycle
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If only I had a penny for every time I mentioned the 10th of the sexagenary cycle where people thought I meant the 46th of the sexagenary cycle due to their similar pronunciation…
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Luckily きゆう is not the only reading for both of those, and the main readings are different! This frustrated me for a long time as well.
Maybe you will develop a needless anxiety to accidentally mix up the 10th and 46th of the sexagenary cycle?
杞憂 – river willow melancholy, sounds like there is a story behind it (absurd fear, needless anxiety)
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