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” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #22,047 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.

#22,047
frequency rank, English
6
letters
10
tracked misspellings
11
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Skillful at deceiving others.

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.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for crafty is 6 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈkɹæfti/. Corpus data places it at rank #22,047 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

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.

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.

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.

Using “crafty”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is C-R-A-F-T-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈkɹæfti/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “cray” - see the side-by-side comparison. crafty vs cray
  • 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.

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

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