quip
/kwɪp/noun, verb
quip is spelled Q-U-I-P: 4 letters and one syllable. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 43,187th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, quip means “A smart, sarcastic turn or jest; a taunt; a severe retort or comeback; a gibe” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of quip is quips.
How many letters and syllables are in quip?
| Letters | 4: Q-U-I-P |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 43,187th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is quip?
Quip appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 43,187th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce quip?
- /kwɪp/
- [kʰw̥ɪp]
Quip has one syllable (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Mélange_a_trois-quip.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of quip
- quips plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- quipping participle, present
- quipped participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does quip mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A smart, sarcastic turn or jest; a taunt; a severe retort or comeback; a gibe.
verb
- 1
To make a quip.
- 2
To taunt; to mock with quips.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Quip in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | pique , blaguer, plaisanter |
| German | geistreiche Bemerkung, Witz, Witzelei, Stichelei, Erwiderung, Retourkutsche |
| Portuguese | chiste |
| Spanish | puntada (Mesoamerica), agudeza, donaire, gracieta , ironizar |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does quip come from?
From a shortening of earlier quippy, perhaps from Latin quippe (“indeed”), ultimately quid (“what”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).