crew

[…]

/[…]/ noun

The verdict

“crew” is a regularly-used German word, ranked #6,171 in German word frequency and used as a noun.

#6,171
frequency rank, German
4
letters
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Belegschaft

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

crew vs cry
50% similar
crew vs CRM
0% similar
crew vs crow
75% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for crew
PropertyValue
Headwordcrew
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[…]
Letters4
Frequency rank#6,171
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “crew” sits in German frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). crew lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The German entry for crew is 4 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as […]. Corpus data places it at rank #6,171 in overall German word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for crew, with forms such as "ccrew", "cerw", and "creww". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "cry", "CRM", "crow", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct German form is crew, spelled C-R-E-W.

Definition

  1. 1
    Belegschaft
  2. 2
    Crew, Besatzung
  3. 3
    Schiffsbesatzung, Mannschaft
  4. 4
    Flugzeugbesatzung, Raumschiffbesatzung
  5. 5
    Rotte, bewaffnete Gruppe von Menschen

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ccrew,cerw,creww,crrew,crwe,rcew

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of crew - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

ccrew1cerw2creww1crrew1crwe2rcew2
Edit distance from "crew"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 German corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "crew"?
"crew" is spelled C-R-E-W. The IPA pronunciation is […].
What does "crew" mean?
As a noun, "crew" means: Belegschaft
What words are commonly confused with "crew"?
"crew" is commonly confused with "cry", "CRM", "crow". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "crew"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "crew" is […]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "crew" come from?
"crew" is a German word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “crew”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct German spelling is C-R-E-W - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as […] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “cry” - see the side-by-side comparison. crew vs cry
  • Browse more German words and confusable pairs in the same reference. German words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list