To pique is to arouse or stimulate — that piqued my interest. A peak is a summit or a maximum. "Peak my interest" is the frequent error, and there is a third spelling: to peek is to look. All three sound identical, and only one of them arouses curiosity.
The core difference
Three homophones, one of them appearing almost only in a single phrase.
- pique — arouse, stimulate: pique someone's curiosity. As a noun: resentment — a fit of pique.
- peak — summit, maximum: peak demand, a mountain peak.
- peek — a quick look: peek through the curtains.
Why the error is so common
Pique is a French borrowing that most people meet only in "pique my interest" and "a fit of pique". Because it is rarely seen written, the familiar English spelling peak gets substituted — and "peak my interest" almost makes sense if you imagine interest reaching a summit.
The noun sense
Pique as a noun means irritated resentment: acting in a fit of pique. It comes from French piquer, to prick or sting — which is the sense of something needling you into attention.
