crackdown

Name: crackdown, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

noun

By PlainSpell · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed September 3, 2026

The verdict

“crackdown” has 15 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #18,282. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#18,282
frequency rank, English: 5,599
“C” headwords: 15
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Abruptly stern measures or disciplinary action; increased enforcement.

Corpus desk

Index EN-crackdown · crackdown · English

crackdown · rank #18,282 · 15 variants · 0 confusables

FREQ-MID #18,282
LEN-LONG 9 letters
VOW-2 2 vowels
CONFUS-0 No pairs
VAR-HIGH 15 variants
BOOK-DENSE 5,599
PHOTO-FINISH cords

Nearest frequency peer: cords (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

continual

81,722
contradict

81,721
cords

81,720
crackdown

81,719
craze

81,718
cupcake

81,716

What this shows “crackdown” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Key facts for crackdown
Property	Value
Headword	crackdown
Language	English
Part of speech	Noun
Letters	9
Frequency rank	#18,282
Misspellings tracked	15
Confusable pairs	0
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “crackdown”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).crackdownlands here:

#18,282

#1#100#1K#10K#100K

← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “cords” (#18,281), “craze” (#18,283), “contradict” (#18,280). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “crackdown” is #18,282. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 15 spelling variants around crackdown, anoun. Corpus frequency is #18,282 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Dominant gloss: "Abruptly stern measures or disciplinary action; increased enforcement.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for crackdown, with forms such as "carckdown", "ccrackdown", and "cracckdown". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. Our dataset records no confusable match here, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: Deverbal from crack down. The correct English form is crackdown, spelled C-R-A-C-K-D-O-W-N.

Definition

1
Abruptly stern measures or disciplinary action; increased enforcement.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how crackdown appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

After a harsh police crackdown last week fueled anger and swelled protests, President Dilma Rousseff, a former guerrilla who was imprisoned under the dictatorship and has now become the target of pointed criticism herself, tried to appease dissenters by embracing their cause on Tuesday.
In the last two years crackdowns on various sectors of the economy, as well as prominent Chinese businessmen, have caused uncertainty. These have recently widened to include foreign nationals and firms, heightening worries in the international business community.

Etymology

Deverbal from crack down.

This word in other languages

represión(Español)Razzia(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

carckdown
ccrackdown
cracckdown
cracdkown
crackddown
crackdonw
crackdownn
crackdowwn
crackdwon
crackkdown
crackodwn
crakcdown
crcakdown
crrackdown
rcackdown

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of crackdown - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

Edit distance from "crackdown"

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 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "crackdown"?

"crackdown" is spelled C-R-A-C-K-D-O-W-N.

What does "crackdown" mean?

As a noun, "crackdown" means: Abruptly stern measures or disciplinary action; increased enforcement.

What are common misspellings of "crackdown"?

Common misspellings include "carckdown", "ccrackdown", "cracckdown", "cracdkown", "crackddown". The correct spelling is "crackdown".

What is the origin of the word "crackdown"?

Deverbal from crack down. See the full etymology section above for more details.

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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "crackdown", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

continual#18,279 Davenport#18,288 degrading#18,289 colonists#18,272

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (15 here; floor ≥5).

conjecture15 variants compounded15 variants excessively15 variants fourteenth15 variants