pique
pi·que/pik/verb, noun
pique is spelled P-I-Q-U-E: 5 letters and 2 syllables (pi·que). It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 31,549th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). People search “peak vs pique” about 2,400 times a month (Google, United States). As a verb, pique means “To wound the pride of (someone); to excite to anger; to irritate, to offend” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in pique?
| Letters | 5: P-I-Q-U-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: pi·que |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 31,549th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Pairs people search | |
| Sounds like | |
| Rhymes with | |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is pique?
Pique appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 31,549th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce pique?
- UK /piːk/
- US /pik/
As a noun (“A chigger, chigoe, or jigger (Tunga penetrans), a species…”): /ˈpiːkeɪ/, /piːk/, /ˈpikeɪ/.
As a noun (“Alternative form of piqué (“a kind of corded or ribbed…”): /ˈpiːkeɪ/, /piˈkeɪ/.
As a noun (“Synonym of pica (“a disorder characterized by appetite and…”): /paɪk/.
Pique has 2 syllables, split pi·que in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-pique.ogg, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-piqué.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with pique
Word pairs people search, with the monthly searches for “a vs b” (G: Google, B: Bing, United States).
Sounds like: peak, peek, peke (Wiktionary's homophone list; some hold only in some accents).
Sources: Google and Bing searches (September 2025 to August 2026, through DataForSEO); English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with pique?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as pique from its last stressed vowel (/ik/):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: equip.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of pique
- piques present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- piquing participle, present
- piqued participle, past
- piqués plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does pique mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To wound the pride of (someone); to excite to anger; to irritate, to offend.
- 2
To excite (someone) to action, especially by causing jealousy, resentment, etc.; also, to stimulate (an emotion or feeling, especially curiosity or interest).
I believe this will pique your interest.
- 3
To pride (oneself) on something.
- 4
obsoleteTo excite or stimulate (oneself).
- 5
To take pride in.
- 6
To excite to action, especially by causing jealousy, resentment, etc.; also, to stimulate an emotion or feeling, especially curiosity or interest.
- 7
obsoleterareTo express jealousy, resentment, etc. at someone; to become angry or annoyed.
- 8
archaicobsoleteTo score a pique against (someone).
noun
- 1
Enmity, ill feeling; (countable) a feeling of animosity or a dispute.
- 2
Irritation or resentment awakened by a social injury or slight; offence, especially taken in an emotional sense with little consideration or thought; (countable) especially in fit of pique: a transient feeling of wounded pride.
- 3
obsoleteIn pique of honour: a matter, a point.
- 4
In piquet, the right of the elder hand to count thirty in hand, or to play before the adversary counts one.
- 5
obsoleteA chigger, chigoe, or jigger (Tunga penetrans), a species of tropical flea.
- 6
midgie, sand fly, punkie, punky (US)
- 7
Alternative form of piqué (“a kind of corded or ribbed fabric made from cotton, rayon, or silk”).
- 8
obsoleterareSynonym of pica (“a disorder characterized by appetite and craving for non-edible substances”).
noun
- 1
A kind of corded or ribbed fabric made from cotton, rayon, or silk.
- 2
A movement in which the raised, pointed foot of the working leg is lowered so that it pricks the floor and then either rebounds upward or becomes a supporting foot.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Pique in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.