Spelling rule
Q is followed by u
The answer
In English spelling, q is followed by u, and qu usually says /kw/ (queen, quick, equal). In a few words it says /k/ (antique, unique). Our lexicon has 91 qu words and none where q appears without u.
When does the rule apply?
Q never works alone in common English words, so most programs teach qu as one unit with two sounds, /k/ and /w/. That makes "quit" a three-unit word, qu-i-t, which is how our spelling units show it. The u in qu is not a vowel. Students who treat it as one try to read "quit" with two vowel sounds. The /k/ group is small and mostly borrowed from French, and many of those words end in -que (antique, unique, technique).
Words that follow the rule
qu at the start says /kw/
| Word | Where | Readable after |
|---|---|---|
| quit | qu at the start | Lesson 32 |
| quick | qu at the start | Lesson 44 |
| quite | qu at the start | Lesson 55 |
| quote | qu at the start | Lesson 56 |
| quiet | qu at the start | Lesson 68 |
| quitting | qu at the start | Lesson 67b |
| qualify | qu at the start | Lesson 94 |
| quality | qu at the start | Lesson 94 |
| quantity | qu at the start | Lesson 94 |
| quiz | qu at the start | Lesson 34 |
| queen | qu at the start | Lesson 85 |
| quest | qu at the start | Lesson 32 |
| query | qu at the start | Lesson 74 |
| quota | qu at the start | Lesson 68 |
| quantum | qu at the start | Lesson 94 |
| queries | qu at the start | not taught |
| quibble | qu at the start | Lesson 75 |
| quotation | qu at the start | Lesson 119 |
| qualification | qu at the start | Lesson 119 |
| qua | qu at the start | Lesson 94 |
| quip | qu at the start | Lesson 32 |
| quack | qu at the start | Lesson 44 |
| quail | qu at the start | Lesson 84 |
| quake | qu at the start | Lesson 54 |
| quark | qu at the start | Lesson 77 |
| quart | qu at the start | Lesson 93 |
| quash | qu at the start | Lesson 93 |
| quell | qu at the start | Lesson 42 |
| quill | qu at the start | Lesson 42 |
| quilt | qu at the start | Lesson 32 |
| quirk | qu at the start | Lesson 81 |
| quaint | qu at the start | Lesson 84 |
| qualms | qu at the start | Lesson 94 |
| quartz | qu at the start | not taught |
| quench | qu at the start | Lesson 48 |
qu inside a word says /kw/
| Word | Where | Readable after |
|---|---|---|
| square | qu inside the word | Lesson 112 |
| equal | qu inside the word | Lesson 68 |
| require | qu inside the word | Lesson 68 |
| frequent | qu inside the word | Lesson 68 |
| sequence | qu inside the word | Lesson 68 |
| equally | qu inside the word | Lesson 74 |
| adequate | qu inside the word | Lesson 67b |
| subsequent | qu inside the word | Lesson 67b |
| consequence | qu inside the word | Lesson 67b |
| requirement | qu inside the word | Lesson 67b |
| equivalent | qu inside the word | Lesson 68 |
| inadequate | qu inside the word | Lesson 67b |
| consequences | qu inside the word | Lesson 117 |
| squad | qu inside the word | Lesson 94 |
| squash | qu inside the word | Lesson 94 |
| squeeze | qu inside the word | Lesson 85 |
| equip | qu inside the word | Lesson 68 |
| equate | qu inside the word | Lesson 68 |
| liquid | qu inside the word | Lesson 67b |
| sequel | qu inside the word | Lesson 68 |
| equipping | qu inside the word | Lesson 68 |
| frequency | qu inside the word | Lesson 117 |
| requisite | qu inside the word | Lesson 67b |
| consequent | qu inside the word | Lesson 67b |
| infrequent | qu inside the word | Lesson 68 |
| sequential | qu inside the word | Lesson 119 |
| equality | qu inside the word | Lesson 94 |
| adequately | qu inside the word | Lesson 74 |
| inequality | qu inside the word | Lesson 94 |
| equilibrium | qu inside the word | not taught |
| squat | qu inside the word | Lesson 94 |
| squid | qu inside the word | Lesson 32 |
| squall | qu inside the word | Lesson 43 |
| squawk | qu inside the word | Lesson 93 |
| squeak | qu inside the word | Lesson 85 |
| squeal | qu inside the word | Lesson 85 |
| squint | qu inside the word | Lesson 32 |
| squire | qu inside the word | Lesson 55 |
| squirm | qu inside the word | Lesson 81 |
| squirt | qu inside the word | Lesson 81 |
| squelch | qu inside the word | Lesson 48 |
| inquest | qu inside the word | Lesson 67b |
| conquests | qu inside the word | Lesson 67b |
qu that says /k/
| Word | Where | Readable after |
|---|---|---|
| queue | qu says /k/ | not taught |
| unique | que at the end | not taught |
| technique | que at the end | not taught |
| clique | que at the end | not taught |
| antique | que at the end | not taught |
| baroque | que at the end | not taught |
| pique | que at the end | not taught |
| mosque | que at the end | not taught |
| plaque | que at the end | not taught |
| quiche | qu says /k/ | not taught |
| torque | que at the end | not taught |
| brusque | que at the end | not taught |
| cliques | qu says /k/ | not taught |
Words that break the rule
None. No public word in our lexicon breaks this pattern.
How do you teach it?
Teach qu after digraphs, as a letter pair that sticks together. Write it on one card, never q by itself. Practice with words where qu starts the word (quiz, quest), then words where it sits inside (equal, liquid, squeeze), then the -que ending.
"This card says q-u. They always go together, and they say /kw/. Watch: /kw/, /i/, /t/, quit. Now /s/, /kw/, /ee/, /z/, squeeze. The u isn't a vowel here. It's part of the /kw/."
What is the common error, and the fix?
Beginning spellers write "kwik" or "qick". The fix is the rule itself: q never goes anywhere without u. Readers sometimes say "kyoo-it" for quit, reading u as a vowel. Treat qu as one unit, /kw/, and blend it with the vowel after it.
Sort it: a hands-on activity
Deal qu cards from the three tables. Students sort into "qu at the start", "qu inside" and "qu says /k/", then read the /k/ pile aloud and spot the -que endings.
How this list was built
Every word comes from our lexicon of about 19,000 common words, each checked against a pronouncing dictionary and split into spelling units. Words a student meets in our assessments and progress-monitoring probes are left out, so practicing a list never rehearses a test. Rule groups are computed from each word's spelling units and its word sum (base plus suffix), then checked by hand; false word sums such as man + er for manner are removed.
"Readable after" is the first lesson in the lesson sequence at which our decodability engine finds every sound-spelling in the word taught; "not taught" means the word has a spelling the sequence does not cover, so it is read with help. You can check your own lists and passages with the free decodable text checker.
Questions people ask
Are there English words with q and no u?
Not in common English. Words like qi and qat exist in word-game dictionaries, and names like Iraq keep their own spelling, but our public word list has none.
Is the u in qu a vowel?
No. In qu, the u spells the /w/ sound. The vowel comes after it: qu-i-t, qu-ee-n.
Why does qu say /k/ in antique and unique?
Those words came from French, where qu says /k/. Most of them end in -que, so the ending is a clue. Our list has 13 of them.