Word Confusion: No Peeking at my Peak!

Dear Copy Bitch: Got any tips for remembering how to use peek and peak correctly?

Answer: Sure. You need your eyes to look quickly–or “peek”–at something. There are two e’s in eyes. Same for peek. (You also have two eyes, so you can use that hint as well.)

The peak is the top of something, often a mountain. Think of the Alps (“a” in Alps; “a” in “peak”). By the way, if you “pique” someone’s interest, it’s spelled p-i-q-u-e. Think of it this way: Q is one of the craziest, coolest letters in our alphabet (and worth 10 points in Scrabble). If something interests you, it’s probably because it’s cool. So think “cool Q” and write pique correctly.