# quay

> English word · Noun · IPA /kiː/ · frequency rank #20,746

## Definitions
1. A stone or concrete structure on navigable water used for loading and unloading vessels; a wharf.

## Etymology
The current spelling replaced the spelling key in the 1690s to emulate the spelling but (at least originally) not the pronunciation of the equivalent modern French quai. From Middle English kay, key, kaye, keye, from Old French kay, cail, from Gaulish *kagyum, cagiíun (“enclosure”), from Proto-Celtic *kagyom (“pen, enclosure”) (compare Welsh cae (“field”)), from Proto-Indo-European *kagʰyóm (“enclosure”). Doublet of hedge and hey (“choreographic figure”).

## Easily confused with
- **que** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/quay-vs-que)
- **quo** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/quay-vs-quo)
- **quit** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/quay-vs-quit)
- **quiz** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/quay-vs-quiz)
- **quid** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/quay-vs-quid)
- **quip** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/quay-vs-quip)
- **query** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/quay-vs-query)
- **Quran** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/quay-vs-quran)
- **queasy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/quay-vs-queasy)
- **Quayle** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/quay-vs-quayle)
- **qu** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/qu-vs-quay)
- **qua** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/qua-vs-quay)
- **quad** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/quad-vs-quay)
- **Qian** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/qian-vs-quay)
- **qual** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/qual-vs-quay)
- **quasi** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/quasi-vs-quay)
- **quake** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/quake-vs-quay)
- **quail** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/quail-vs-quay)
- **quack** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/quack-vs-quay)
- **quark** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/quark-vs-quay)

## Common misspellings (5)
`qauy`, `qquay`, `quayy`, `quya`, `uqay`

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