Which to use
“quo” is a verb and “quote” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #9,947
- “quo” frequency rank
- #2,963
- “quote” frequency rank
- 12910
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | quo | quote |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | quoth | A statement attributed to a person; a quotation. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set quo and quote 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: quo is /kwəʊ/ while quote is /kwəʊt/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “quo” sits inside “quote”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 12910, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
quo is recorded at frequency rank #9,947, classified as averb, pronounced /kwəʊ/. 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 12910, this pair ranks #478,833 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of quo vs quote
Shared letters: oqu. Private to "quo": -. Private to "quote": et.
"quo" · 3 letters · shape CVV · "quote" · 5 letters · shape CVVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- quote ← qoute · qquote · quoet · quotte · qutoe · uqote
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "quo" and "quote" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "quo" or "quote"?
Remembering quo vs quote
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “quo”; for a noun, it's “quote”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “quo” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable