quick

/kwɪk/

//kwɪk// adj

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

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

The verdict

“quick” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #1,127 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.

#1,127
frequency rank, English
5
letters
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Moving with speed, rapidity or swiftness, or capable of doing so; rapid; fast.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

quick vs quit
60% similar
quick vs quiz
60% similar
quick vs quid
60% similar

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

Key facts for quick
PropertyValue
Headwordquick
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/kwɪk/
Letters5
Frequency rank#1,127
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “quick” 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). quick lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for quick is 5 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /kwɪk/. Corpus data places it at rank #1,127 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 14 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for quick, with forms such as "qiuck", "qquick", and "qucik". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "quit", "quiz", "quid", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English quik, quic (“living, alive, active”), from Old English cwic (“alive”), from Proto-West Germanic *kwiku (“alive, lively quick”), from Proto-Germanic *kwikwaz (“alive, lively, quick”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʷih₃wós (“alive”), from *gʷ… The correct English form is quick, spelled Q-U-I-C-K.

Definition

  1. 1
    Moving with speed, rapidity or swiftness, or capable of doing so; rapid; fast.
  2. 2
    Occurring in a short time; happening or done rapidly.
  3. 3
    Lively, fast-thinking, witty, intelligent.
  4. 4
    Mentally agile, alert, perceptive.
  5. 5
    Easily aroused to anger; quick-tempered.
  6. 6
    Alive, living.
  7. 7
    At the stage where it can be felt to move in the uterus.
  8. 8
    Pregnant, especially at the stage where the foetus's movements can be felt; figuratively, alive with some emotion or feeling.
  9. 9
    Flowing, not stagnant.
  10. 10
    Burning, flammable, fiery.
  11. 11
    Fresh; bracing; sharp; keen.
  12. 12
    productive; not "dead" or barren
  13. 13
    Not cryptic.
  14. 14
    Being a distinctively sensitive kind of glaciomarine clay that may behave like a watery fluid under stress.

Etymology

From Middle English quik, quic (“living, alive, active”), from Old English cwic (“alive”), from Proto-West Germanic *kwiku (“alive, lively quick”), from Proto-Germanic *kwikwaz (“alive, lively, quick”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʷih₃wós (“alive”), from *gʷeyh₃- (“to live”), *gʷeyh₃w- (“to live”). For semantic development, compare lively. Cognate with Dutch kwik, kwiek (“lively, quick”), German keck (“sassy, cheeky”), Danish kvik (“lively, quick-witted, quick”), kvæg (“cattle”), Faroese kvikur (“quick”), Icelandic kvikur (“lively, quick”), Norn kvikk, hwikk (“living, swarming, teeming”), Norwegian kvikk (“quick, lively, quick-witted”), Swedish kvick (“quick, witty”), and also (from Indo-European) with Greek βίος (víos, “life”), Latin vivus (“alive”), Lithuanian gývas (“alive”), Latvian dzīvs (“alive”), Russian живо́й (živój, “alive, lively, quick”), Polish żywy (“alive”), Welsh byw (“alive”), Irish beo (“alive”), biathaigh (“to feed”), Northern Kurdish jîn (“to live”), jiyan (“life”), giyan (“soul”), can (“soul”), Sanskrit जीव (jīva, “alive”), Albanian nxit (“to urge, stimulate”). Doublet of jiva.

Synonyms

fastspeedyrapidswiftbriefmomentaryshort-livedephemeralbrightdrollkeenwittyintelligenthotheadedrattishshort-temperedsnippishsnippyextantlivevitalaliveexpectinggravidwith childpregnantrunningfluentfluminousflowing

Antonyms

slowdead

This word in other languages

rápido(Español)rapide(Français)schnell(Deutsch)rápido(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: qiuck,qquick,qucik,quicck,quickk,quikc,uqick

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of quick - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

qiuck2qquick1qucik2quicck1quickk1quikc2uqick2
Edit distance from "quick"

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 "quick"?
"quick" is spelled Q-U-I-C-K. The IPA pronunciation is /kwɪk/.
What does "quick" mean?
As an adjective, "quick" means: Moving with speed, rapidity or swiftness, or capable of doing so; rapid; fast.
What words are commonly confused with "quick"?
"quick" is commonly confused with "quit", "quiz", "quid". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "quick"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "quick" is /kwɪk/. 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 "quick"?
From Middle English quik, quic (“living, alive, active”), from Old English cwic (“alive”), from Proto-West Germanic *kwiku (“alive, lively quick”), from Proto-Germanic *kwikwaz (“alive, lively, quick”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʷih₃wós (“alive”)... 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.

Using “quick”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is Q-U-I-C-K - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /kwɪk/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “quit” - see the side-by-side comparison. quick vs quit
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list