quae

\ˈkʷae̯\

/\ˈkʷae̯\/ pron

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

The verdict

“quae” is uncommon French (frequency #62,555 among 11,618 “Q” headwords), classed as a pronoun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#62,555
frequency rank, French
11,618
“Q” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Nominatif féminin singulier de qui.

Key facts for quae
PropertyValue
Headwordquae
LanguageFrench
Part of speechPronoun
IPA\ˈkʷae̯\
Letters4
Frequency rank#62,555
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “quae” sits in French 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). quae 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

quae is uncommon French at frequency #62,555 among 11,618 “Q” headwords, classed as apronoun, transcribed \ˈkʷae̯\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for quae in our index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct French form is quae, spelled Q-U-A-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Nominatif féminin singulier de qui.
  2. 2
    Nominatif féminin pluriel de qui.
  3. 3
    Nominatif neutre pluriel de qui.
  4. 4
    Accusatif neutre pluriel de qui.

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 "quae"?
"quae" is spelled Q-U-A-E. The IPA pronunciation is \ˈkʷae̯\.
What does "quae" mean?
As a pronoun, "quae" means: Nominatif féminin singulier de qui.
How do you pronounce "quae"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "quae" is \ˈkʷae̯\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "quae" come from?
"quae" 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.

Using “quae”

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

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

Other uncommon French 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