quaver
/ˈkweɪvə(ɹ)/
"quaver" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“quaver” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 6
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A trembling shake.
Corpus desk
Index EN-quaver · quaver · English
quaver · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-LONG 6 letters
- VOW-3 3 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "Q" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
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.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | quaver |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈkweɪvə(ɹ)/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “quaver” in English
Rare enough to double-check
quaver is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈkweɪvə(ɹ)/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.
The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for quaver, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English quaveren, frequentative form of quaven, cwavien (“to tremble”), equivalent to quave + -er. Cognate with Low German quabbeln (“to quiver”), German quabbeln, quappeln (“to quiver”). More at quave, quab, quiver. The correct English form is quaver, spelled Q-U-A-V-E-R.
Definition
- 1A trembling shake.
- 2A trembling of the voice, as in speaking or singing.
- 3an eighth note, drawn as a crotchet (quarter note) with a tail.
Recorded use
Wiktionary exampleThese source excerpts show how quaver appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
The crotchets and quavers are dancing up and down the stave like little black boys on a fence.
Etymology
From Middle English quaveren, frequentative form of quaven, cwavien (“to tremble”), equivalent to quave + -er. Cognate with Low German quabbeln (“to quiver”), German quabbeln, quappeln (“to quiver”). More at quave, quab, quiver.
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). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.