PQ

\pe.ky\

/\pe.ky\/ noun

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

The verdict

“PQ” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #2,142) as a noun. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#2,142
frequency rank, French
6,826
“P” headwords
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Papier toilette.

Corpus desk

Index FR-pq · PQ · French

PQ · rank #2,142 · 0 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #2,142
  • LEN-SHORT 2 letters
  • VOW-0 0 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,826
  • PHOTO-FINISH proposé

Nearest frequency peer: proposé (+1 rank slots)

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 “PQ”

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

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “PQ” sits against the nearest ranked French 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).

PQ vs pu
0% similar
PQ vs PS
50% similar
PQ vs Pr
50% similar

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

Key facts for PQ
PropertyValue
HeadwordPQ
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\pe.ky\
Letters2
Frequency rank#2,142
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Où “PQ” se place dans la fréquence du français

De gauche à droite: le peu qui porte la parole quotidienne, puis la longue queue quasi invisible.PQse place ici:

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

Les tics avancent en logarithme; chacun est de l'ordre de dix fois plus rare. Dans la même bande de rareté figurent « proposé » (#2,143), « rapports » (#2,144), « oeuvre » (#2,139). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for PQ is neighbouring look-alikes ("pu", "PS", …), not just typos; it is anoun pronounced \pe.ky\. Frequency #2,142 among 6,826 “P” headwords. Gloss: "Papier toilette.".

PQ has no tracked misspelling variants, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "pu", "PS", "Pr", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

No documented word history exists for this headword, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct French form is PQ, spelled P-Q.

Definition

  1. 1
    Papier toilette.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Logique inexorable de l’accumulation : « On a toujours besoin d’un (sic) petit pois chez soi » disait une antique publicité – et toujours besoin de PQ, de shampoing, d’huile, de lait UHT, etc. Les récits et films de famine sont insupportables.
  2. Parce que partout sur les réseaux, on stigmatise les gens qui postent des photos de leur jardin en fleurs, les chanteuses qui récitent de la poésie en français et en anglais dans leur sublime appartement ou les écrivaines qui poètisent leur confinement, les collectionneur.ses de pâtes et de PQ, les gens qui blaguent, ceux qui promènent leur chien deux foi…

Synonyms

papier-culronderchepapier de toilettepécu

This word in other languages

TP(English)

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

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "PQ"?
"PQ" is spelled P-Q. The IPA pronunciation is \pe.ky\.
What does "PQ" mean?
As a noun, "PQ" means: Papier toilette.
What words are commonly confused with "PQ"?
"PQ" is commonly confused with "pu", "PS", "Pr". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "PQ"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "PQ" is \pe.ky\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "PQ" come from?
"PQ" is a French word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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.

What to do next

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

  • "PQ" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "pu". View pair
  • Usage frequency rank #2,142 among French headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more French words in the "P" letter cohort. P–Z browse

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