# quake

> English word · Noun · IPA /kweɪk/ · frequency rank #16,100

## Definitions
1. A trembling or shaking.
2. An earthquake, a trembling of the ground with force.
3. Something devastating, like a strong earthquake.

## Etymology
From Middle English quaken, from Old English cwacian (“to quake, tremble, chatter”), from Proto-Germanic *kwakōną (“to shake, quiver, tremble”), itself likely of imitative origin. Related to Old English cweċċan (“to shake, swing, move, vibrate, shake off, give up”) (see quitch), Dutch kwakkelen (“to ail, be ailing”), German Quackelei (“chattering”), Danish kvakle (“to bungle”), Latin vexō (“toss, shake violently, jostle, vex”), Irish bogadh (“a move, movement, shift, change”).

## Easily confused with
- **que** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/quake-vs-que)
- **quay** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/quake-vs-quay)
- **qual** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/quake-vs-qual)
- **quite** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/quake-vs-quite)
- **quote** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/quake-vs-quote)
- **queue** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/quake-vs-queue)
- **quasi** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/quake-vs-quasi)
- **quark** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/quake-vs-quark)
- **quart** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/quake-vs-quart)
- **quash** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/quake-vs-quash)
- **quant** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/quake-vs-quant)
- **Quaker** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/quake-vs-quaker)
- **quakes** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/quake-vs-quakes)
- **Quayle** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/quake-vs-quayle)
- **qua** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/qua-vs-quake)
- **quad** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/quad-vs-quake)
- **quail** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/quail-vs-quake)
- **quack** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/quack-vs-quake)
- **quads** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/quads-vs-quake)
- **quacks** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/quacks-vs-quake)

## Common misspellings (6)
`qauke`, `qquake`, `quaek`, `quakke`, `qukae`, `uqake`

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