Ask WordMum: Peak vs Peek vs Pique
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Our Question
What’s the difference between peak, peek, and pique?
WordMum Says
This is a set of words I frequently see misused and misunderstood. They’re easy to tangle up, so let’s see if we can lay them out clearly together!
Peak (noun, verb, adjective)
This spelling typically refers to the top of something, both literally and metaphorically. Its core meaning refers to the top of a mountain, and that’s a good image to keep in mind when thinking about this word and its usage.
When something is in peaks, like mountains or icing on a cupcake, that tells us its shape is pointed at the top and probably conical (though the point at the top is the key part of the meaning here). If it helps, it’s the shape of a capital A, so you want the spelling with the ‘a’ in it!
When used as a verb and something peaks, that means it has reached its highest point, just like the peak is the highest point of a mountain. When the temperature peaks in summer, that means it’s at its hottest.
Similarly, in its adjective form, it means the thing has reached its highest level. So peak condition is the best (highest) condition, and peak humour is really funny. The less said about peak cringe, the better.
It also has a second, less common meaning: when someone looks ill. A person can be peaked or look peaky, which means they are unwell, wasted, or sickly. In some regions, peaked with this meaning is pronounced differently to the other meaning, splitting it into two distinct syllables (peak-ed or pea-ked rather than peak’d).
Peek (noun, verb)
This word refers to seeing something. The link between see and peek can help you remember the double-e! Or, if you prefer, peeking is something you do with your eyes (again, double-e).
Taking a peek at something or peeking at something both mean to look quickly or furtively at something. It can also mean being seen, because when something is peeking out, it’s usually visible.
Pique (noun, verb)
This one is frequently forgotten or replaced with one of the other spellings, but its meaning is not related to either. It is used to indicate one of two distinct emotional states: irritation or arousing interest.
The noun form of the word is used to indicate a moment or state of irritation, frustration, resentment, or similar negative reaction. This is what a fit of pique refers to.
The verb form is most commonly used to indicate arousing interest. Curiosity is piqued, which means the person is interested in and engaged with whatever is doing the piquing. A person can also be simply piqued by something, and this can mean either interest or irritation, which is why most uses tend to specify to avoid being ambiguous or confusing.
Example Time!
Now that we’ve clarified what they all mean, let’s see them in action.
The excitement peaked
This uses the ‘a’ spelling, which means it’s referring to the top of something, so we take the meaning that the excitement reached its highest point.
If it had the double-e spelling (the excitement peeked), it would mean that the excitement was sneaking a look at something, which doesn’t make much sense. You might be able to make it work in a sentence but make sure that’s the meaning you’re going for!
If the excitement piqued, that also doesn’t make sense as it stands. Piqued what? What emotion are we going for? Should it be the excitement was piqued (as in aroused, like curiosity)? An unusual usage but you might get away with that one.
The dog peeked at the sausage
Here we have the double-e spelling, so we know the dog is sneakily looking at something. He really wants that sausage. Don’t blame you, pupper!
If the dog peaked at the sausage, that would mean it reached the top of something with the sausage. What something? The food preference hierarchy? You could make that work but it would need some context to make it meaningful.
The dog piquing at the sausage doesn’t make sense because there’s no emotion there. Pique is used exclusively in relation to emotions, and while you might use it like this to attempt to suggest one, this doesn’t give us a clue about which one and is more likely to simply confuse the reader.
He got a sneak peek of what was inside the box
This one is frequently misspelled or misused. A sneak peek is a quick look, glance, or preview, so you want the see means double-e version.
You often see it written as sneak peak with the vowels matching, but that means there is the peak of a mountain trying to sneak around like a ninja. Generally, that’s not what you’re trying to say. The Oatmeal did a fun comic about this!
The mountain peaked above the clouds
This has the ‘a’ spelling, so it’s talking about the top of the mountain (our capital A shape). This means that the mountain’s top is above cloud level, most likely on a consistent basis. It doesn’t tell us how much of the mountain is above the clouds; it could be a small peak or some distance still to climb once you’ve cleared the cloud layer.
Using the double-e spelling also works but it gives the meaning a different flavour. If the mountain peeked above the clouds, its top is also above cloud level, but on a more temporary and changeable basis. It might typically not be that high, or the weather might be erratic or extreme at the time the statement refers to. Using this spelling also suggests that only a small amount of the mountaintop is above the clouds; peeks are typically small and short-lived.
As with the previous example, no emotion here, so it’s unlikely that you want pique in this one.
The glimmer in the distance piqued her curiosity
This means that the glimmer has caught the person’s interest and she is newly curious it. Whether she was curious about something before or not, her curiosity is higher now.
If the glimmer peaked her curiosity, that could mean that it raised her curiosity to the highest it ever is or could get. However, this is a very common mistake and people will assume you simply used the wrong word. It’s a clumsy way to talk about the impact something has on someone’s emotions, so if that is what you meant, reword it to something clearer and less confusing.
The peak peeking piqued their interest
Yes, this is grammatically correct. No, that doesn’t mean you should do it.
If you’re confused by it, it means that the peak (let’s say the peak of a mountain) peeking out of something like the clouds is making someone interested.
Now say it five times fast!
So there you have it! Hopefully that’s shed some light on how and when we use each of these words. Go forth and use them liberally!
Join us again next month for a new set of words to wield responsibly. Write on, my lovelies, use all the words at your disposal!