quill

/kwɪl/

//kwɪl// noun

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

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

The verdict

“quill” has 5 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #25,182. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#25,182
frequency rank, English
288
“Q” headwords
5
tracked misspellings
16
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The lower shaft of a feather, specifically the region lacking barbs.

Corpus desk

Index EN-quill · quill · English

quill · rank #25,182 · 5 variants · 16 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #25,182
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 16 pairs
  • VAR-MID 5 variants
  • BOOK-MID 288
  • PHOTO-FINISH Pyongyang

Nearest frequency peer: Pyongyang (-1 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 “quill”

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

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “quill” 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).

quill vs quit
60% similar
quill vs quiz
60% similar
quill vs quip
60% similar

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

Key facts for quill
PropertyValue
Headwordquill
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/kwɪl/
Letters5
Frequency rank#25,182
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs16
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “quill” 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).quilllands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “Pyongyang” (#25,181), “pug” (#25,180), “refurbishment” (#25,184). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 5 spelling variants around quill (IPA /kwɪl/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #25,182 among 288 “Q” headwords. Wiktionary lists 10 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for quill, with forms such as "qiull", "qquill", and "quil". 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 16 confusable-pair relationships, "quit", "quiz", "quip", 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 late Middle English quyl, which is first attested in the early 15th century with the meanings "fragment of reed" and "shaft of a feather", probably from Low German and Middle Low German quiele, possibly ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gʷelH- (“to … The correct English form is quill, spelled Q-U-I-L-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    The lower shaft of a feather, specifically the region lacking barbs.
  2. 2
    A pen made from a feather.
  3. 3
    Any pen.
  4. 4
    A sharply pointed, barbed, and easily detached needle-like structure that grows on the skin of a porcupine or hedgehog as a defense against predators.
  5. 5
    A thin piece of bark, especially of cinnamon or cinchona, curled up into a tube.
  6. 6
    The pen of a squid.
  7. 7
    The plectrum with which musicians strike the strings of certain instruments.
  8. 8
    The tube of a musical instrument.
  9. 9
    Something having the form of a quill, such as the fold or plain of a ruff, or (weaving) a spindle, or spool, upon which the thread for the woof is wound in a shuttle.
  10. 10
    A quill drive, having a hollow shaft with another movable shaft inside it.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The note was written in a delicate hand with a crow-quill, on primrose-coloured paper, with a lilac seal—the motto "tout à vous;" and the whole with just a faint perfume of jasmine.
  2. He picked up his quill and wrote a poem.

Etymology

From late Middle English quyl, which is first attested in the early 15th century with the meanings "fragment of reed" and "shaft of a feather", probably from Low German and Middle Low German quiele, possibly ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gʷelH- (“to pierce, stick”). Compare Middle High German kil (“large feather, quill”), which is derived from the Low German term.

This word in other languages

cálamo(Español)plume(Français)Kiel(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • qiull
  • qquill
  • quil
  • qulil
  • uqill

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of quill - 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.

qiull2qquill1quil1qulil2uqill2
Edit distance from "quill"

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 "quill"?
"quill" is spelled Q-U-I-L-L. The IPA pronunciation is /kwɪl/.
What does "quill" mean?
As a noun, "quill" means: The lower shaft of a feather, specifically the region lacking barbs.
What words are commonly confused with "quill"?
"quill" is commonly confused with "quit", "quiz", "quip". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "quill"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "quill" is /kwɪl/. 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 "quill"?
From late Middle English quyl, which is first attested in the early 15th century with the meanings "fragment of reed" and "shaft of a feather", probably from Low German and Middle Low German quiele, possibly ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gʷ... 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 "quill", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

revel#25,187Rocco#25,189rower#25,193Pavel#25,168

Similar misspelling depth

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

sous5 variantsuniv5 variantswynn5 variantsYoda5 variants

What to do next

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

  • "quill" maps to 16 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "quit". View pair
  • 5 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #25,182 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