Quiet vs Quite
When it comes to the meaning, there is a big difference between Quite and Quiet. However, the two words, quite and quiet are often confused due to the appearing similarity in their spelling and pronunciation. The word quite is used in the sense of ‘very’ or ‘completely’. On the other hand, the word quiet is used in the sense of ‘calm’ or ‘making little or no noise’. This is the main difference between the two words. It is interesting to note that the word quiet is normally used as an adjective. The adverbial form of quiet is ‘quietly’. On the other hand, the word quite is used as an adverb. It generally describes an action as in the expression ‘quite slow’. At the same time, it has an adjectival form. This is an important observation to be made when it comes to the usage of the word quite. In the expression ‘quite a small ball’ the word ‘quite’ is used as an adjective.
What does Quite mean?
The word quite is used in the sense of very or completely. Observe the three sentences given below.
He came quite late last night.
It was quite slow.
She was quite certain about the news she got about her mother.
In the first two sentences, you can find that the word quite is used in the sense of ‘very.’ Hence, the meaning of the first sentence would be ‘he came very late last night.’ The meaning of the second sentence would be ‘it was very slow’. In the third sentence, the word quite is used in the sense completely. So, the sentence would mean ‘she was completely certain about the news she got about her mother.’
What does Quiet mean?
The word quiet is used in the sense of calm or making little or no noise. Observe the two sentences given below.
He is very quiet by nature.
She was quiet for some time.
In both the sentences, the word quiet is used in the sense of ‘calm.’ Hence, the meaning of the first sentence would be ‘he is very calm by nature.’ The meaning of the second sentence would be ‘she was calm for some time’. However, depending on the situation you could assume that the word quiet is used in the sense of making little or no noise. Specially, when we say ‘he is very quiet by nature’ we generally refer to someone who is a person of few words, a person who does not speak very much rather than being calm. In the second sentence too we can say, ‘she did not speak for some time.’
What is the difference between Quiet and Quite?
• The word quite is used in the sense of ‘very’ or ‘completely’.
• On the other hand, the word quiet is used in the sense of ‘calm’ or ‘making little or no noise’.
• Quiet is used as an adjective.
• The adverbial form of quiet is quietly.
• Quite is used as an adverb and sometimes as an adjective.
These are the main differences between the two words that are often confused, namely, quite and quiet.