CHAPTER 18

Using qu Plus a Vowel

It is quite common to hear English spelling rules dismissed as either nonexistent or so riddled with

exceptions that they are useless. This is not true. There is a large number of rules, but most of them are
clear and logical, and most of them are valid rules. That is, they apply to such a high percentage of words
in their particular category that there are few, if any, exceptions or anomalies. The q rule is valid one
hundred percent of the time.

(^) Note that mathematicians and computer experts sometimes argue among themselves regarding the word
gigabyte. Since it does not come from the English word gigantic but from the Greek word gigas (“giant”),
it is properly pronounced with two hard g’s.
Spelling rule: In English spelling, the q may not stand alone. Excluding names, the q must always be
followed by u and a vowel. There are no exceptions.
(^) Note that our names are excluded because we may spell our names any way we wish. The names of
foreign countries and cities, especially those that use a different alphabet, are often spelled with just a q:
(^) A thousand years ago, the Anglo Saxons did not use the q. They used cw. Since there was no k, the c
had a hard sound. Cwen is now queen. Cwic is now quick. The change in spelling occurred during the
Norman French period, and today no commonly used English word begins with cw. The only such word in
most dictionaries is a Welsh word, cwm, which is pronounced kum.
Note that although the qu produces the kw sound, there are only two words in most dictionaries that
begin with kw, both recently borrowed words:
(^) And in North America, cheque is spelled check, despite the fact that the American Express Company
sells traveler’s cheques.