There it was again, in a caption on the front page of a section of today’s newspaper: a sneak peak. (We won’t talk about the use of bugs in food. Ugh.)
I feel silly offering guidance about when to use “peak” and when to use “peek,” but I see one wrongly used for the other ALL. THE. TIME. So here goes.
- If there’s a mountain peak or some other kind of point (a hat, a roof) involved, think of the pointy A as that mountain peak. I’m climbing to that PEAK.
- If you’re using your peepers to look quickly at something, think of the ee like glasses. Here’s a sneak PEEK.
It’s not so hard, but if you are caught up in the ea-ea rhythm of sneak and peak, let it be a signal to check; is this the right use of the word?
Related reading:
When to use who vs. whom
Please stop “hacking” your life
Discreet vs. discrete