Which to use
“quirk” is a noun and “quits” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #24,561
- “quirk” frequency rank
- #17,451
- “quits” frequency rank
- 42012
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | quirk | quits |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | An idiosyncrasy; a slight glitch, a mannerism; something unusual about the manner or style of something or someone. | On equal monetary terms; neither owing or being owed. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set quirk and quits apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: quirk is /kwɜːk/ while quits is /kwɪts/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 42012, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
quirk is recorded at frequency rank #24,561, classified as anoun, pronounced /kwɜːk/. quits is at rank #17,451, tagged as anadj, pronounced /kwɪts/.
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 42012, this pair ranks #253,094 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of quirk vs quits
Shared letters: iqu. Private to "quirk": kr. Private to "quits": st.
"quirk" · 5 letters · shape CVVCC · "quits" · 5 letters · shape CVVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "quirk" and "quits" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "quirk" or "quits"?
Remembering quirk vs quits
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “quirk”; for an adjective, it's “quits”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “quirk” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable