quincevsquiteWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: quince is a num, quite is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“quince” is a num and “quite” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#4,036
“quince” frequency rank
#10,743
“quite” frequency rank
14779
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature quince quite
Definition Catorce y uno. Primera persona del singular (yo) del presente de subjuntivo de quitar.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set quince and quite apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
quince
5 ch
quite

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: quince is [ˈkĩnse] while quite is [ˈkit̪e]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (num vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 14779, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

quince is recorded at frequency rank #4,036, classified as anum, pronounced [ˈkĩnse]. quite is at rank #10,743, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈkit̪e].

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 14779, this pair ranks #282,774 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of quince vs quite

Shared letters: eiqu. Private to "quince": cn. Private to "quite": t.

"quince" · 6 letters · shape CVVCCV  ·  "quite" · 5 letters · shape CVVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • quinceqiunce · qquince · quicne · quincce · quinec · quinnce · quinse · qunice
  • quiteqiute · qquite · quiet · quitte · qutie · uqite

Frequency comparison

quince#4,036
quite#10,743

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "quince" and "quite" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "quince" is a num and "quite" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "quince" or "quite"?
"quince" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,036 in our Spanish list, against #10,743 for "quite". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering quince vs quite

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a num, it's “quince”; for a verb, it's “quite”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “quince” 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