quadrature

/ˈkwɒd.ɹəˌtjʊə(ɹ)/

//ˈkwɒd.ɹəˌtjʊə(ɹ)// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"quadrature" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“quadrature” is uncommon English (frequency #63,165 among 288 “Q” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#63,165
frequency rank, English
288
“Q” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The process of making something square; squaring.

Corpus desk

Index EN-quadrature · quadrature · English

quadrature · rank #63,165 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #63,165
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 288
  • PHOTO-FINISH putsch

Nearest frequency peer: putsch (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Long-tail ranks near “quadrature”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “quadrature” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for quadrature
PropertyValue
Headwordquadrature
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkwɒd.ɹəˌtjʊə(ɹ)/
Letters10
Frequency rank#63,165
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “quadrature” in English

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).quadraturefalls in this rarity band:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “putsch” (#63,164), “quadriplegic” (#63,166), “pursuer” (#63,163). Among 288 “Q” headwords, “quadrature” is #63,165. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

quadrature is uncommon English at frequency #63,165 among 288 “Q” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈkwɒd.ɹəˌtjʊə(ɹ)/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 7 senses are on record.

No misspelling variants are generated for quadrature in our index, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Latin quadrātūra. The correct English form is quadrature, spelled Q-U-A-D-R-A-T-U-R-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    The process of making something square; squaring.
  2. 2
    The act or process of constructing a square that has the same area as a given plane figure, or of computing that area.
  3. 3
    The calculation of a definite integral by numerical means.
  4. 4
    The act or process of solving an indefinite integral by symbolic means.
  5. 5
    A situation in which the directions of two celestial bodies (or a celestial body and the Sun) form a right angle from the perspective of the observer.
  6. 6
    The condition in which the phase angle between two alternating quantities is 90°.
  7. 7
    A painting painted on a wooden panel.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how quadrature appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. 1976, D. T. Whiteside (editor), The Mathematical Papers of Isaac Newton, Volume 7: 1691-1695, Cambridge University Press, page 3, Craige was then on the point of publishing a short tract wherein he expounded a systematic (if far from general) 'Method of determining the quadrature of figures comprehended by straight lines and curves', there gathering a var…
  2. 1992, Bernard Bielecki, SINC Quadratures for Cauchy Principal Value Integrals, T.O. Espelid, Alan Genz, Springer, Numerical Integration: Recent Developments, Software and Applications, page 81, Three types of SINC quadratures are surveyed for the evaluation of Cauchy principal value integrals ∫_ΓF(t)dt/(t-x), x∈Γ, where Γ is an arc in the complex plane. U…

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin quadrātūra.

This word in other languages

quadrature(Français)Quadrieren(Deutsch)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "quadrature"?
"quadrature" is spelled Q-U-A-D-R-A-T-U-R-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkwɒd.ɹəˌtjʊə(ɹ)/.
What does "quadrature" mean?
As a noun, "quadrature" means: The process of making something square; squaring.
How do you pronounce "quadrature"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "quadrature" is /ˈkwɒd.ɹəˌtjʊə(ɹ)/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "quadrature"?
Borrowed from Latin quadrātūra. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "quadrature", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

praetorian#63,152Pottsville#63,150redecorate#63,187picnicking#63,140

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list