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'Peak' is the top, highest point, or best moment; 'peek' means to look quickly and secretly.
Side-by-side comparison
"Peak" is the highest point: a mountain top, the most intense moment, or the maximum level of something. "Peak hours" = the busiest period. "At its peak" = at its highest or most successful point.
Web traffic reached its peak during the product launch week.
She climbed to the peak of the mountain at sunrise.
Demand typically peaks in December and drops sharply in January.
"Peek" is to look quickly and secretly through a small opening or from behind cover. "Take a peek" = have a brief, furtive look. "Peek-a-boo" = the baby game of hiding and suddenly reappearing.
He peeked through the window to see if the lights were on.
She took a quick peek at the answers before the test.
Don't peek, it's a surprise!
Common mistake
- •"Take a peak at this chart" when meaning a quick look is wrong (correct: peek).
- •And "The graph shows a peek in July" when meaning the highest value is wrong (correct: peak).
Trick to remember it
- •"Peek" has double E, imagine two little eyes peeking (EE = two eyes).
- •"Peak" has EA going up, like a mountain shape with the A rising to a point.
Quick rule
- •Is it the highest point, top, or maximum? "Peak".
- •Is it a quick, secret look? "Peek".
Did you know?
PEEK/PEAK/PIQUE is a trio of homophones where all three have completely different meanings and different vocabulary levels: PEEK is basic, PEAK is everyday, and PIQUE is advanced vocabulary. The expression "it peaked my interest", a blend of PEAK and PIQUE, is one of the most common errors in high-level native English writing. Autocorrect software generally does not flag it because "peaked" is a valid word and the semantic context is hard to detect algorithmically. Only a human reader who knows all three words can catch this error.
Practise what you learned
Exercise 1 · Pick the right one
No looking! Don't even _____ at your birthday present before the party.
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
The tourist season reaches its _____ in August when the hotels are completely full.
Exercise 3 · Form the word
Related word pairs
One means to receive or agree to something, the other means to exclude or not include.
'Advice' is the guidance you receive (noun); 'advise' is the act of giving that guidance (verb).
'Affect' is the verb meaning to influence something; 'effect' is the noun meaning result or consequence.
'Aisle' is the walkway between rows of seats or shelves; 'isle' is a small island.
Bryan López
Founder of SpeakUP Academy