Is it "quiet," "quite," or "quit"?

We've all heard a teacher say, "Shh, be quiet! Quit talking! You're being quite loud!"

"Quiet," "quite," and "quit" are only a letter or two apart, so it's easy to mix them up when you're writing. The good news is that they all sound different, and once you hear the difference, the spelling gets much easier.

Quiet

"Quiet" means with little or no noise. It has two syllables: KWY-et.

• She's quiet at first, but she's really funny once you get to know her.
• The office is so quiet on Fridays.
• The house felt really quiet without the kids.
• Can you be quiet? I'm trying to sleep.

Quite

"Quite" has one syllable and rhymes with "white." It changes how strong an adjective is, and this is where it gets interesting, because it can make things stronger or weaker depending on where you are.

In American English, "quite" usually means "very."

• The movie was quite good. I'd watch it again.
• It's quite cold out there. Take a jacket.

In British English, "quite" often means "fairly" or "somewhat." If a British friend says your presentation was "quite good," they probably mean it was okay, not amazing.

• The hotel was quite nice, but the food was disappointing.

With words like "right," "sure," or "different," "quite" means "completely" in both kinds of English.

• You're quite right.
• I'm not quite sure what you mean.

You'll also hear "quite a few" and "quite a lot," which both mean "a fairly large number."

• Quite a few people left early.

Quit

"Quit" is short and sharp, and rhymes with "sit." It means to stop doing something for good, like a job, a habit, or an activity. The past tense is also "quit."

• I quit my job last month.
• I'm going to quit watching this show if it doesn't get better soon.
• Quit complaining and help me carry these bags.
• She's trying to quit smoking.

That third one is quite informal. In more neutral English, you'd say "stop complaining."

So whether you're asking for some quiet, saying how good something was, or walking away from a bad habit, now you know which word to use.

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