Which to use
“peak” is a noun and “pique” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #2,847
- “peak” frequency rank
- #31,706
- “pique” frequency rank
- 34553
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | peak | pique |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A point; the sharp end or top of anything that terminates in a point; as, the peak, or front, of a cap. | To wound the pride of (someone); to excite to anger; to irritate, to offend. |
Same sound, different letters: peak vs pique
Muted letters are shared; highlighted letters are the only spelling cue when pronunciation matches. Shared run: 2 letters. peak runs 4 letters (CVVC) against pique's 5 (CVCVV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Same sound, different spelling - peak / pique
Say them out loud and nothing separates them: peak and pique carry the same recorded pronunciation, /piːk/. Grammar is what tells them apart: one is anoun, the other averb, so most sentences will only accept one of them. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 34553, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
peak is recorded at frequency rank #2,847, classified as anoun, pronounced /piːk/. pique is at rank #31,706, tagged as averb, pronounced /piːk/.
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 34553, this pair ranks #319,816 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of peak vs pique
Shared letters: ep. Private to "peak": ak. Private to "pique": iqu.
"peak" · 4 letters · shape CVVC · "pique" · 5 letters · shape CVCVV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "peak" and "pique" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary English text, does "peak" or "pique" show up more?
Useful next steps
You've separated the homophone pair "peak" / "pique". Follow the links when you need the full entry or a neighbour that trips the same ear.
- Full dictionary entry for "peak" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "pique" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #319,816 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "peak" and "pique" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "pique vs piqued". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #319,816 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.