The words peek and peak have the same sound but different meanings.
Peek (verb or noun) means to “look (at something) briefly or furtively (in a sneaky way).”
Peak (noun, verb, or adjective) means, “(to reach) the pointy top of something such as a mountain or hat.”
Let's start with Peek, can be used in a variety of ways:
He put his hands over his eyes and peeked between his fingers.
She peeked at her phone when nobody would notice.
Why don’t you take a peek in the kitchen and see if dinner is almost ready?
Most English speakers have played the game peek-a-boo with a child (or when they were a child). In this game, an adult hides their face behind their hands, and then either peeks between their fingers, or suddenly opens their hands and shouts “boo” to surprise the child!
Peak can also be used in many different ways:
"Peak" as a Noun
It was very cold when we slept at the peak of the mountain.
There is a cross on the peak of the church roof.
She reached the peak of her career when she won the Nobel prize.
"Peak" as a Verb
Sell your stock when the price peaks.
Her career peaked early, when she was 30.
The sound of the approaching train peaked than gradually faded.
"Peak" as an Adjective
Peak experiences often feel timeless.
The peak (most) rainfall comes during the monsoon.
Note that peak can describe anything with that shape—the peak on the letter "A", the peak of a cat’s ear, etc.
And, a widow’s peak is when a person’s hair makes a downward point on their forehead, like Count Dracula’s:
Finally, let's look at pique.
Pique is an unusual word; it can be a verb or a noun and it refers to excitement or anger, but it is used only in a very specific ways. Here is pique used in a sentence:
Jerry's stories about traveling in Asia piqued her curiosity.
This is the #1 phrase for pique—to pique someone’s curiosity—which means “to cause someone to become curious.”
You can also pique someone’s interest, concern, or desire, but only these emotions, or similar emotions. You cannot pique sadness or joy, for example. Pique is related to some words for spiciness, such as picante. It came from a French word meaning “to prick”—to stick a pin into something.
Used without referring to an emotion, pique just means “to make someone angry or irritated”:
His rudeness piqued her.
Or, for a stronger statement, you can use pique as a noun, in the phrase a fit of pique:
His rudeness was so bad it put her into (or gave her) a fit of pique.
And please, do not make the mistake of writing “peaked my interest” like so many young Americans!
How to Use "Peek" in a Sentence
- The mountain was covered in snow and ice, but the peak was still visible.
- The peak of Mt. Everest is 29,032 feet high.
- "I'm going to the peak of Mount Kilimanjaro to get a view from the top."
- The peak of his career came when he won the gold medal, despite the controversy over the judges.
- It's not a good thing to peak too early, as you may find yourself in no position to make use of your abilities relative to the envrionment you are working in.
How to Use "Peak" in a Sentence
- May I peek at your notes?
- A peek inside the window revealed that the house was abandoned.
- She peeked through the curtains to see what was happening outside.
- Peeking through her fingers, she watched as the rest of the game unfolded.
- The little girl peeked through the crack in the door and saw her mommy sitting on the other side of the room, crying softly while looking at the photo in her hand.