QuixotevsquoteWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“Quixote” and “quote” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#31,722
“Quixote” frequency rank
#2,963
“quote” frequency rank
34685
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Quixote quote
Definition One resembling Don Quixote; someone who is chivalrous but idealist. A statement attributed to a person; a quotation.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Quixote and quote apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
Quixote
5 ch
quote

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Quixote (/ˈkwɪk.sət/) and quote (/kwəʊt/) 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 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 34685, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Quixote is recorded at frequency rank #31,722, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈkwɪk.sət/. quote is at rank #2,963, tagged as anoun, pronounced /kwəʊt/.

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 34685, this pair ranks #318,626 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Quixote vs quote

Shared letters: eoqtu. Private to "Quixote": ix. Private to "quote": -.

"Quixote" · 7 letters · shape CVVCVCV  ·  "quote" · 5 letters · shape CVVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Quixoteqiuxote · qquixote · quioxte · quixoet · quixotte · quixtoe · quixxote · quxiote
  • quoteqoute · qquote · quoet · quotte · qutoe · uqote

Frequency comparison

Quixote#31,722
quote#2,963

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Quixote" and "quote" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (/ˈkwɪk.sət/ versus /kwəʊt/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Quixote" or "quote"?
"quote" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,963 in our English list, against #31,722 for "Quixote". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering Quixote vs quote

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Quixote” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list