quem

/ˈkʷem/

//ˈkʷem// pron

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

The verdict

“quem” is uncommon Spanish (frequency #59,556 among 3,200 “Q” headwords), classed as a pronoun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#59,556
frequency rank, Spanish
3,200
“Q” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Forma del acusativo masculino singular de quī₁.

Key facts for quem
PropertyValue
Headwordquem
LanguageSpanish
Part of speechPronoun
IPA/ˈkʷem/
Letters4
Frequency rank#59,556
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “quem” sits in Spanish 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). quem lands here:

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

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

Rare enough to double-check

quem is uncommon Spanish at frequency #59,556 among 3,200 “Q” headwords, classed as apronoun, transcribed /ˈkʷem/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for quem, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. Our dataset records no confusable match here, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, so spelling patterns must be inferred from the word's phoneme-to-grapheme mapping rather than from a documented borrowing chain. The correct Spanish form is quem, spelled Q-U-E-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    Forma del acusativo masculino singular de quī₁.
  2. 2
    Forma del acusativo masculino singular de quis₁.
  3. 3
    Forma del acusativo femenino singular de quis₁.
  4. 4
    Forma del acusativo masculino singular de quis₂.

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 Spanish corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "quem"?
"quem" is spelled Q-U-E-M. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkʷem/.
What does "quem" mean?
As a pronoun, "quem" means: Forma del acusativo masculino singular de quī₁.
How do you pronounce "quem"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "quem" is /ˈkʷem/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "quem" come from?
"quem" is a Spanish word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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 “quem”

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

  • The one correct Spanish spelling is Q-U-E-M - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈkʷem/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more Spanish words and confusable pairs in the same reference. Spanish words

Other uncommon Spanish words near this rank

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