Quiet vs Quite at a glance
- quiet
/ˈkwaɪət/ · adjective
Making little or no noise, or calm and without much activity.
- Can you be quiet? The baby's sleeping.
- We found a quiet café where we could talk.
- quite
/kwaɪt/ · adverb
Fairly or to some degree, but not very.
- The film was quite good, but a bit too long.
- It's quite cold today, so take a jacket.
How to remember it
Say them aloud: qui-et has two syllables, like 'riot'. Quite has one and ends in silent e, like white, kite and bite.
Good to know
Quite can also mean completely with some adjectives: "You're quite right." "I'm not quite ready" means almost ready. In American English, quite usually sounds stronger, closer to very.
Common mistakes
Wrong: The exam was quiet difficult.
Right: The exam was quite difficult.
Wrong: Please keep quite during the test.
Right: Please keep quiet during the test.
Quick quiz
1.The library is a good place to study because it's .
2.I'm tired, but I can stay for one more drink.
3.The streets are very early on Sunday morning.
Pick the right word for each gap.