'Peak' is the highest point or to reach the maximum; 'pique' means to arouse curiosity or to feel irritated. Not to be confused with 'peek' (a quick look) — all three sound identical.
Noun: the top of a mountain, or the highest point of a process or career. Verb: to reach the highest level. Adjective: at the best or highest level ('peak performance', 'peak season', 'peak hours').
The company's revenues peaked in 2019 and have been declining steadily ever since.
She trained for three years to reach peak physical condition before the championship.
The mountain peak was visible from fifty kilometres away on a clear day.
Verb. To arouse or stimulate curiosity, interest, or pride ('to pique someone's curiosity'). Also: to feel offended or irritated. Noun: a feeling of irritation or resentment ('in a fit of pique').
The mysterious title of the presentation piqued everyone's curiosity before it even began.
She left the meeting in a fit of pique after her proposal was dismissed without discussion.
His unusual background piqued the interviewer's interest and led to a much longer conversation than planned.
Common mistake
"It peaked my curiosity" (correct: piqued — aroused interest). "She took a peak at the file" (correct: peek — a quick look). "His interest was peeked" (correct: piqued). All three — peek, peak, pique — sound identical (/piːk/). 'Piqued my interest/curiosity' is a fixed phrase; using 'peaked' or 'peeked' here is one of the most common advanced-level errors in English writing.
Trick to remember it
'PEAK' has EA like the 'EA' in 'reACH' — reaching the top. 'PIQUE' ends in -QUE because it came from French ('piquer', to prick) — the French ending signals its foreign origin. 'PEEK' has double EE like two eyes peering through a gap.
Quick rule
Is it the top or maximum? 'Peak'. Is it to arouse curiosity or feel offended? 'Pique'. Is it a quick look? 'Peek'.
Did you know?
'Pique' comes from French 'piquer' (to prick, to stimulate) — the same root as 'piquant' (pleasantly stimulating to the taste) and 'pike' (a pointed weapon). It entered English through the French cultural influence of the 17th century. 'Piqued my curiosity' is now so established as a phrase that style-checkers flag 'peaked' and 'peeked' in that context as errors. The trio peek/peak/pique is one of the few English homophone groups where one word (pique) is advanced vocabulary, one (peak) is everyday, and one (peek) is basic — which means even advanced learners get them wrong because they know the word but not its spelling.
Exercise 1 · Pick the right one
The unusual headline _____ d her curiosity and she clicked through to read the full article.
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
Traffic on the platform always _____ s between 6 and 8 in the evening on weekdays.
Exercise 3 · Form the word
Is it the top or maximum? 'Peak'. Is it to arouse curiosity or feel offended? 'Pique'. Is it a quick look? 'Peek'.
"It peaked my curiosity" (correct: piqued — aroused interest). "She took a peak at the file" (correct: peek — a quick look). "His interest was peeked" (correct: piqued). All three — peek, peak, pique — sound identical (/piːk/). 'Piqued my interest/curiosity' is a fixed phrase; using 'peaked' or 'peeked' here is one of the most common advanced-level errors in English writing.
'PEAK' has EA like the 'EA' in 'reACH' — reaching the top. 'PIQUE' ends in -QUE because it came from French ('piquer', to prick) — the French ending signals its foreign origin. 'PEEK' has double EE like two eyes peering through a gap.
Bryan López
Founder of SpeakUP Academy