# quaint

> English word · Adjective · IPA /kweɪnt/ · frequency rank #20,468

## Definitions
1. Of a person: cunning, crafty.
2. Cleverly made; artfully contrived.
3. Strange or odd; unusual.
4. Overly discriminating or needlessly meticulous; fastidious; prim.
5. Pleasingly unusual; especially, having old-fashioned charm.

## Etymology
From Middle English queynte, quoynte, from Anglo-Norman cointe, queinte and Old French cointe (“pretty, clever, knowing”), from Latin cognitus, past participle of cognōscō (“I know”).

## Easily confused with
- **quit** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/quaint-vs-quit)
- **quiet** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/quaint-vs-quiet)
- **Quinn** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/quaint-vs-quinn)
- **quilt** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/quaint-vs-quilt)
- **quart** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/quaint-vs-quart)
- **quint** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/quaint-vs-quint)
- **quant** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/quaint-vs-quant)
- **quail** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/quail-vs-quaint)

## Common misspellings (8)
`qauint`, `qquaint`, `quainnt`, `quaintt`, `quaitn`, `quanit`, `quiant`, `uqaint`

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