quartzite

/ˈk(w)ɔːtˌsaɪt/

//ˈk(w)ɔːtˌsaɪt// noun

"quartzite" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“quartzite” is uncommon English (frequency #56,388 among 288 “Q” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#56,388
frequency rank, English
288
“Q” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A metamorphic rock from sandstone, consisting of interlocking grains of quartz.

Corpus desk

Index EN-quartzite · quartzite · English

quartzite · rank #56,388 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #56,388
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 288
  • PHOTO-FINISH Pyotr

Nearest frequency peer: Pyotr (-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 “quartzite”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for quartzite
PropertyValue
Headwordquartzite
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈk(w)ɔːtˌsaɪt/
Letters9
Frequency rank#56,388
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “quartzite” 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).quartzitefalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “Pyotr” (#56,387), “quietness” (#56,389), “putts” (#56,385). Among 288 “Q” headwords, “quartzite” is #56,388. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

quartzite is uncommon English at frequency #56,388 among 288 “Q” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈk(w)ɔːtˌsaɪt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A metamorphic rock from sandstone, consisting of interlocking grains of quartz.".

No misspelling variants are generated for quartzite in our index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From quartz + -ite. The correct English form is quartzite, spelled Q-U-A-R-T-Z-I-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A metamorphic rock from sandstone, consisting of interlocking grains of quartz.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Following the course of the river from New Ulm to Fort Ridgely, there are several exposures of reddish-brown “granite” or quartzites, which has been quarried in a few places, but I do not feel entirely sure of its connection with the rocks in the prairie or at the Ferry below.
  2. The stone experimented upon being of the hardest and toughest kind the effect is not seen for several strokes ; but within two minutes, during which the writer watched the experiment, a steel chisel was completely blunted and rendered useless, and there was a hole made about two inches deep in the mass of quartzite placed to operate upon.

Etymology

From quartz + -ite.

This word in other languages

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 "quartzite"?
"quartzite" is spelled Q-U-A-R-T-Z-I-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈk(w)ɔːtˌsaɪt/.
What does "quartzite" mean?
As a noun, "quartzite" means: A metamorphic rock from sandstone, consisting of interlocking grains of quartz.
How do you pronounce "quartzite"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "quartzite" is /ˈk(w)ɔːtˌsaɪt/. 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 "quartzite"?
From quartz + -ite. 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 "quartzite", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list