quad
/kwɑd/noun, adjective, verb
quad is spelled Q-U-A-D: 4 letters and one syllable. It appears 5.0 times per million words in written English, the 11,198th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, quad means “A quadrangle (quadrangular courtyard)” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of quad is quads.
How many letters and syllables are in quad?
| Letters | 4: Q-U-A-D |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 5.0 times per million words; the 11,198th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is quad?
Quad appears 5.0 times per million words in written English, the 11,198th 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 quad?
- US /kwɑd/
- UK /kwɒd/
Quad has one syllable (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-au-quad.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with quad?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as quad from its last stressed vowel (/ɑd/):
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 quad
- quads plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- quadding participle, present
- quadded participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does quad mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
obsoleteA blank metal block used to fill short lines of type.
- 2
obsoleteslangA joke used to fill long days of setting type.
- 3
obsoleteA keyboard command which aligns text with the left or right margin, or centred between them. In combination, as quad left, quad right, or quad centre.
- 4
informalA quadrangle (quadrangular courtyard).
- 5
colloquialdatedA horse, from colloquial or humorous quadruped specifically for horse.
- 6
A poster advertising a cinematic film release, measuring forty by thirty inches, four times the area of crown paper.
- 7
A quadruple, a jump with four revolutions in the air.
- 8
A serving of four shots of espresso; (attributive) containing four shots of espresso.
adjective
- 1
Quadruple, four times the usual size or quantity.
- 2
Quadrille, marked with squares.
verb
- 1
To fill spaces in a line of type with quads. Also quad out.
- 2
To align text with the left or right margin, or centre it.
- 3
To twist four individually insulated conductors together as two pairs of twisted wires that are then twisted together.
- 4
To ride a quad bike.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Where does quad come from?
Shortened, via clipping or abbreviation, from various English terms. Ultimately related to Latin quattuor (“4”); compare quadri-, quadruple. The typography senses are from the abbreviation quad. for obsolete quadrat; the keyboard command comes from the verb sense.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).