# query

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈkwɪə.ɹi/ · frequency rank #12,307

## Definitions
1. A question, an inquiry (US), an enquiry (UK).
2. A question mark.
3. A set of instructions passed to a database.
4. Ellipsis of query letter.

## Etymology
An anglicisation of quere, an obsolete variant form of Latin quaere, second-person singular present active imperative of quaerō (“seek, look for; ask”); perhaps suffixed with -y (“abstract noun”). Cognate with French quérir, Italian chiedere, Portuguese querer, Romanian cere, and Spanish querer. Compare question.

## Easily confused with
- **quest** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/query-vs-quest)
- **queue** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/query-vs-queue)
- **quirk** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/query-vs-quirk)
- **quirky** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/query-vs-quirky)
- **que** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/que-vs-query)
- **quay** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/quay-vs-query)
- **queen** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/queen-vs-query)
- **queer** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/queer-vs-query)
- **quark** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/quark-vs-query)
- **quart** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/quart-vs-query)
- **quell** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/quell-vs-query)
- **quarry** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/quarry-vs-query)
- **queasy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/queasy-vs-query)

## Common misspellings (7)
`qeury`, `qquery`, `querry`, `queryy`, `queyr`, `qurey`, `uqery`

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