Which to use
“cross” and “crosse” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,073
- “cross” frequency rank
- #33,192
- “crosse” frequency rank
- 34265
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | cross | crosse |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 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. | A lacrosse stick. |
Letter map: cross vs crosse
Shared letters muted; letters that set cross and crosse apart highlighted. Shared run: 5.
Pair insight - cross / crosse
cross and crosse are indexed as a confusable English pair. We have no recorded pronunciation or part of speech for both members, so the spelling overlap is what we can show you: they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “cross” sits inside “crosse”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 34265, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
cross is recorded at frequency rank #1,073, classified as anoun, pronounced /kɹɒs/. crosse is at rank #33,192, tagged as anoun.
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 34265, this pair ranks #322,278 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of cross vs crosse
Shared letters: cors. Private to "cross": -. Private to "crosse": e.
"cross" · 5 letters · shape CCVCC · "crosse" · 6 letters · shape CCVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "cross" for "crosse" ever safe?
Frequency check: "cross" vs "crosse" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Pair "cross" vs "crosse" is on the table, pick a follow-up below.
- Full dictionary entry for "cross" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "crosse" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #322,278 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "cross" and "crosse" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "crone vs crosse". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #322,278 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.