Peak, peek and pique: these words are called homophones—words that sound the same, but may be spelled differently and have different meanings. And they seem to confuse a lot of people by what I see daily on social media.

That said, I remember writing something for StyleBlueprint years ago, and I incorrectly used “peak.” It was supposed to be “pique.” We missed it, and I was embarrassed. A reader commented, and I hurried to get back to my computer and get that blinking, neon sign of a typo corrected! Red faced. How had I missed that? Well, it’s the same way we make most typos: our brains and our hands sometimes just aren’t in sync. I mean, we’re all smart people, right? But I will say that after seeing the prevalent incorrect use of peak/peek/pique over the past few weeks, and one by someone who is part of a major Southern publication on social media (OUCH!), I feel the need to share the way I remember which is which.

I made up all these mnemonic devices when I was a kid, and they’ve stayed with me. I promise that they still pop into my mind when I write. For the whole peek/peak/pique usage, if you remember these clues, you’ll never get it wrong again, unless you have brain drain like I did when I published my mistake right here. Hopefully, yours won’t be published … I’m still embarrassed!

Pique peek peakPin

Peak, Peek, Pique

PEAK:

The peak of a mountain. Peak usage. Peak fares. A widow’s peak. So the pointed top of something, right? I remember this because this way of writing “peak” has an “a.” And an “a” capitalized looks like the peak of a mountain: A.

PEEK:

This means a quick look, as in “peek-a-boo” or “Don’t peek!” I remember this one because the two “e’s” side by side 1) look like eyes and 2) have the letters to spell “eye.”

PIQUE:

To cause interest: “Her curiosity was piqued.” Or to feel irritated: “After a moment of pique, I was able to catch my breath and answer in a steady voice.” In both instances, what I came up with as a kid and still pops to the front of my mind today is this is “fancy pique.” Use the fancy way of spelling it! Totally lame, I know. But it worked for me then and still does today. Another one would be to think when curiosity or interest is piqued, I want to ask a question, and “pique” ends with “que,” which starts “question.” Someone told me that one along the way, and it’s a good one, as well.

Now, please stop tweeting, updating Facebook and writing under your Instagram photo the wrong one. This oftentimes laborious English language deserves better!

Liza Graves
About the Author
Liza Graves

As CEO of StyleBlueprint, Liza also regularly writes for SB. Most of her writing is now found in the recipe archives as cooking is her stress relief!