Which to use
“que” and “query” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #9,084
- “que” frequency rank
- #12,307
- “query” frequency rank
- 21391
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | que | query |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | The name of the Latin script letter Q/q. Alternative form of cue. | A question, an inquiry (US), an enquiry (UK). |
Where the eye mixes que and query
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses que with query
A purely visual mix-up. que (/ˈkjuː/) and query (/ˈkwɪə.ɹi/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “que” sits inside “query”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 21391, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
que is recorded at frequency rank #9,084, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈkjuː/. query is at rank #12,307, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈkwɪə.ɹi/.
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 21391, this pair ranks #424,261 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of que vs query
Shared letters: equ. Private to "que": -. Private to "query": ry.
"que" · 3 letters · shape CVV · "query" · 5 letters · shape CVVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- query ← qeury · qquery · querry · queryy · queyr · qurey · uqery
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "que" and "query" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "que" vs "query" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "que" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "query" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #424,261 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "que" and "query" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "queasy vs query". 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 #424,261 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.