crafty

/ˈkɹæfti/

//ˈkɹæfti// adj

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"crafty" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“crafty” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #22,047. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#22,047
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
11
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Skillful at deceiving others.

Corpus desk

Index EN-crafty · crafty · English

crafty · rank #22,047 · 10 variants · 11 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #22,047
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 11 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH Coulson

Nearest frequency peer: Coulson (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “crafty”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “crafty” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

crafty vs cray
67% similar
crafty vs crazy
67% similar
crafty vs crate
67% similar

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

Key facts for crafty
PropertyValue
Headwordcrafty
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈkɹæfti/
Letters6
Frequency rank#22,047
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs11
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “crafty” sits in English 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). crafty lands here:

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

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

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around crafty (IPA /ˈkɹæfti/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #22,047 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for crafty, with forms such as "carfty", "ccrafty", and "craffty". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 11 confusable-pair relationships, "cray", "crazy", "crate", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English crafty, crefty, craftiȝ, from Old English cræftiġ (“ingenious; skilful; crafty; cunning; virtuous; powerful”), from Proto-West Germanic *kraftag, *kraftīg, *kraftug, from Proto-Germanic *kraftugaz (“powerful”), equivalent to craft + -y. … The correct English form is crafty, spelled C-R-A-F-T-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Skillful at deceiving others.
  2. 2
    Sneaky; surreptitious.
  3. 3
    Relating to, or characterized by, craft or skill; dexterous.
  4. 4
    Possessing dexterity; skilled; skillful.
  5. 5
    Magical or occult, or allegedly so.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. For thy mouth uttereth thine iniquity, and thou choosest the tongue of the crafty.
  2. Glaucon will play devil's advocate (358c-d, thereby showing himself craftier than Thrasymachus, who is so unsly as to declare himself a wolf, openly, before the sheep; […])

Etymology

From Middle English crafty, crefty, craftiȝ, from Old English cræftiġ (“ingenious; skilful; crafty; cunning; virtuous; powerful”), from Proto-West Germanic *kraftag, *kraftīg, *kraftug, from Proto-Germanic *kraftugaz (“powerful”), equivalent to craft + -y. Cognate with Saterland Frisian kräftich, krääftig, West Frisian krêftich, Dutch krachtig, German Low German krachtig, German kräftig.

This word in other languages

diestro(Español)rusé(Français)geschickt(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • carfty
  • ccrafty
  • craffty
  • craftty
  • craftyy
  • crafyt
  • cratfy
  • crfaty
  • crrafty
  • rcafty

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of crafty - 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.

carfty2ccrafty1craffty1craftty1craftyy1crafyt2cratfy2crfaty2
Edit distance from "crafty"

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "crafty"?
"crafty" is spelled C-R-A-F-T-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkɹæfti/.
What does "crafty" mean?
As an adjective, "crafty" means: Skillful at deceiving others.
What words are commonly confused with "crafty"?
"crafty" is commonly confused with "cray", "crazy", "crate". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "crafty"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "crafty" is /ˈkɹæfti/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "crafty"?
From Middle English crafty, crefty, craftiȝ, from Old English cræftiġ (“ingenious; skilful; crafty; cunning; virtuous; powerful”), from Proto-West Germanic *kraftag, *kraftīg, *kraftug, from Proto-Germanic *kraftugaz (“powerful”), equivalent to cr... 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 "crafty", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

cutoff#22,052detain#22,056disarm#22,059entail#22,073

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

Coulson10 variantsdebacle10 variantsdefiant10 variantsbrownie10 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "crafty". Here's where to go from here.

  • "crafty" maps to 11 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "cray". View pair
  • 10 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #22,047 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "C" letter cohort. C–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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