# peek

> English word · Verb · IPA /piːk/ · frequency rank #11,262

## Definitions
1. To look slyly, or with the eyes half closed, or through a crevice; to peep.
2. To be only slightly, partially visible, as if peering out from a hiding place.
3. To briefly move out of cover (to gather visual information).
4. To take a look at; to check out.
5. To retrieve (a value) from a memory address.

## Etymology
From Middle English *peken, piken, pyken (“to peep”), probably a fusion of Middle English pepen (“to peep”) and keken, kiken (“to keek, look, spy”), equivalent to a blend of peep + keek. Perhaps also possibly a metathetic alteration of Middle English kepen, kipen, kypen (“to keep, look, observe, watch”).

## Easily confused with
- **PK** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/peek-vs-pk)
- **per** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/peek-vs-per)
- **pet** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/peek-vs-pet)
- **pen** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/peek-vs-pen)
- **pie** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/peek-vs-pie)
- **Poe** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/peek-vs-poe)
- **pep** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/peek-vs-pep)
- **peg** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/peek-vs-peg)
- **pew** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/peek-vs-pew)
- **PKK** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/peek-vs-pkk)
- **pes** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/peek-vs-pes)
- **PEI** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/peek-vs-pei)
- **PPE** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/peek-vs-ppe)
- **pye** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/peek-vs-pye)
- **pick** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/peek-vs-pick)
- **pink** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/peek-vs-pink)
- **poem** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/peek-vs-poem)
- **poet** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/peek-vs-poet)
- **punk** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/peek-vs-punk)
- **peer** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/peek-vs-peer)

## Common misspellings (5)
`epek`, `peekk`, `pek`, `peke`, `ppeek`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/peek