cropvscrossWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“crop” and “cross” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#5,591
“crop” frequency rank
#1,073
“cross” frequency rank
6664
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature crop cross
Definition A plant, grown for it, or its fruits or seeds, to be harvested as food, livestock fodder, or fuel or for any other economic purpose. A geometrical figure consisting of two straight lines or bars intersecting each other such that at least one of them is bisected by the other.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set crop and cross apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
crop
5 ch
cross

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

crop and cross form a confusable pair in the English index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 6664, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

crop is recorded at frequency rank #5,591, classified as anoun, pronounced /kɹɒp/. cross is at rank #1,073, tagged as anoun, pronounced /kɹɒs/.

Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.

With a confusion score of 6664, this pair ranks #510,509 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Frequency comparison

crop#5,591
cross#1,073

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "crop" and "cross" be used interchangeably?
No, "crop" and "cross" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering crop vs cross

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “crop” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

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