piquevspueWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: pique is a noun, pue is an intj, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“pique” is a noun and “pue” is an intj - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#17,238
“pique” frequency rank
#19,853
“pue” frequency rank
37091
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature pique pue
Definition Resentimiento, desazón o disgusto ocasionado de una disputa u otra cosa semejante. Se usa al terminar una frase para reforzarla o darle énfasis.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set pique and pue apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
pique
3 ch
pue

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: pique is [ˈpike] while pue is [ˈpwe]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs intj), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 37091, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

pique is recorded at frequency rank #17,238, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈpike]. pue is at rank #19,853, tagged as anintj, pronounced [ˈpwe].

Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.

With a confusion score of 37091, this pair ranks #177,146 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of pique vs pue

Shared letters: epu. Private to "pique": iq. Private to "pue": -.

"pique" · 5 letters · shape CVCVV  ·  "pue" · 3 letters · shape CVV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • piqueipque · piqeu · piqque · piuqe · ppique · pqiue

Frequency comparison

pique#17,238
pue#19,853

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "pique" and "pue" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "pique" is a noun and "pue" an intj, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "pique" or "pue"?
"pique" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #17,238 in our Spanish list, against #19,853 for "pue". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering pique vs pue

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “pique”; for an intj, it's “pue”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “pique” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list