Tuques? … Toques? … Touques?
A knit hat by any other name is still a warm winter cap!

The tuque … commonly considered to be the national winter hat of Canada, is a knit cap designed to provide warmth in the winter and, according to some wearers, exhibit year-round style. The tuque (or toque … more on that later) is typically a hat knit from wool or synthetic fibers, either brimless or having a folded brim, and may be worn as a cap fit tightly to the skull ... although purists find that the tuque should be worn loose and pointy atop the head.

Now … about the name.
Is it tuque, toque or touque?
The answer: “Yes”

The dictionary provides us with the following definitions:

TUQUE
A warm knitted usually pointed stocking cap

TOQUE
1. A small hat without a brim made in any of various soft close-fitting shapes;
2. tuque;
3. A tall brimless hat worn by a chef —called also toque blanche

TOUQUE
1. A kind of warm cap winter wear, usually made from a knit bag with closed tapered ends by pushing one end within the other, thus making a conical cap of double thickness;
2. tuque;
3. toque

So, clearly tuque, toque or touque can be used interchangeably; although today, TUQUE generally refers to the knit winter hats found on this site while TOQUE is typically used to describe the tall, white, pleated chef’s hat. The third variation TOUQUE, according to our best sources, appears to be an English bastardization of the Canadian-French “tuque”.

Outside of Canada, there are a number of other names more commonly used to describe tuques. Knit hat, knit cap, sock cap, stocking cap, watch cap, toboggan, boggan, skull cap, snow hat, snow cap, ski cap, tossle cap, wooly hat, chook and beanie are just a few of the descriptive monikers used in place of toque or tuque.

Regardless of what you call them, the only thing important is that you find the tuque most suited for you. Are you looking for warmth or other utilitarian purposes? Do you want a cap that exhibits your personal taste and style? Whatever your reason for wearing them, you’ll find a large variety of styles, colors and materials in the Tuques.com Online Toque Store. So, stop worrying about what to call the darn things and simply find one that fits and looks good … that’s all that really matters anyway, right?

Can you spot the tuque?
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