by hook or by crook
/baɪ ˈhʊk‿ə baɪ ˈkɹʊk/
"by-hook-or-by-crook" is a 15-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“by hook or by crook” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as a prep_phrase - the kind of word writers most often double-check.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 19
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - By any means possible; one way or another.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | by hook or by crook |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Prep_phrase |
| IPA | /baɪ ˈhʊk‿ə baɪ ˈkɹʊk/ |
| Letters | 19 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “by hook or by crook” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for by hook or by crook is 19 letters long, classified as a prep_phrase, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /baɪ ˈhʊk‿ə baɪ ˈkɹʊk/. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "By any means possible; one way or another.".
Zero misspellings are on record for by hook or by crook in our index, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.
Etymologically, the entry records: From earlier by howke or crooke, by hoke ne by croke, etc., from Middle English wiþ hok or crok, wiþ hook or wiþ crok; further origin unknown. One suggestion is that the term is derived from the common of estovers, an ancient right in English law for tenant… The correct English form is by hook or by crook, spelled B-Y- -H-O-O-K- -O-R- -B-Y- -C-R-O-O-K.
Definition
- 1By any means possible; one way or another.
Etymology
From earlier by howke or crooke, by hoke ne by croke, etc., from Middle English wiþ hok or crok, wiþ hook or wiþ crok; further origin unknown. One suggestion is that the term is derived from the common of estovers, an ancient right in English law for tenants of land to gather dead wood on common land using blunt tools such as hooks and shepherd’s crooks.
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “by hook or by crook”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is B-Y- -H-O-O-K- -O-R- -B-Y- -C-R-O-O-K - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /baɪ ˈhʊk‿ə baɪ ˈkɹʊk/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English 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.