quell

/kwɛl/

//kwɛl// verb

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"quell" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“quell” has 5 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #29,052. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#29,052
frequency rank, English
288
“Q” headwords
5
tracked misspellings
10
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To subdue, put down, or silence (someone or something); to force (someone) to submit.

Corpus desk

Index EN-quell · quell · English

quell · rank #29,052 · 5 variants · 10 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #29,052
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 10 pairs
  • VAR-MID 5 variants
  • BOOK-MID 288
  • PHOTO-FINISH pushy

Nearest frequency peer: pushy (-2 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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “quell”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “quell” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

quell vs quest
60% similar
quell vs queue
60% similar
quell vs query
60% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for quell
PropertyValue
Headwordquell
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/kwɛl/
Letters5
Frequency rank#29,052
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs10
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “quell” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).quelllands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “pushy” (#29,050), “racecourse” (#29,054), “progeny” (#29,048). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 5 spelling variants around quell (IPA /kwɛl/), averb. Corpus frequency is #29,052 among 288 “Q” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for quell, with forms such as "qeull", "qquell", and "quel". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 10 confusable-pair relationships, "quest", "queue", "query", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English quellen, from Old English cwellan (“to kill”), from Proto-West Germanic *kwalljan, from Proto-Germanic *kwaljaną (“to make die; kill”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gʷelH-. Cognate with German quälen (“to torment; agonise; smite”… The correct English form is quell, spelled Q-U-E-L-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    To subdue, put down, or silence (someone or something); to force (someone) to submit.
  2. 2
    To suppress, to put an end to (something); to extinguish.
  3. 3
    To kill.
  4. 4
    To be subdued or abated; to diminish.
  5. 5
    To die.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The nation obeyed the call, rallied round the sovereign, and enabled him to quell the disaffected minority.
  2. Northward marching to quell the sudden revolt.

Etymology

From Middle English quellen, from Old English cwellan (“to kill”), from Proto-West Germanic *kwalljan, from Proto-Germanic *kwaljaną (“to make die; kill”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gʷelH-. Cognate with German quälen (“to torment; agonise; smite”), Swedish kvälja (“to torment”), Icelandic kvelja (“to torture; torment”). Compare also Old Armenian կեղ (keł, “sore, ulcer”), Old Church Slavonic жаль (žalĭ, “pain”). See also kill, which may be its doublet.

This word in other languages

subyugar(Español)réprimer(Français)unterdrücken(Deutsch)sedar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • qeull
  • qquell
  • quel
  • qulel
  • uqell

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of quell - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

qeull2qquell1quel1qulel2uqell2
Edit distance from "quell"

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 "quell"?
"quell" is spelled Q-U-E-L-L. The IPA pronunciation is /kwɛl/.
What does "quell" mean?
As a verb, "quell" means: To subdue, put down, or silence (someone or something); to force (someone) to submit.
What words are commonly confused with "quell"?
"quell" is commonly confused with "quest", "queue", "query". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "quell"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "quell" is /kwɛl/. 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 "quell"?
From Middle English quellen, from Old English cwellan (“to kill”), from Proto-West Germanic *kwalljan, from Proto-Germanic *kwaljaną (“to make die; kill”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gʷelH-. Cognate with German quälen (“to torment; agoni... 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 "quell", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

pushy#29,050roost#29,070shard#29,083sieve#29,084

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (5 here; floor ≥5).

pita5 variantspeso5 variantsNOLA5 variantsnite5 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "quell". Here's where to go from here.

  • "quell" maps to 10 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "quest". View pair
  • 5 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #29,052 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "Q" letter cohort. Q–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list