# crafty

> English word · Adjective · IPA /ˈkɹæfti/ · frequency rank #22,047

## Definitions
1. Skillful at deceiving others.
2. Sneaky; surreptitious.
3. Relating to, or characterized by, craft or skill; dexterous.
4. Possessing dexterity; skilled; skillful.
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.

## Easily confused with
- **cray** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/crafty-vs-cray)
- **crazy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/crafty-vs-crazy)
- **crate** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/crafty-vs-crate)
- **croft** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/crafty-vs-croft)
- **crappy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/crafty-vs-crappy)
- **cranky** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/crafty-vs-cranky)
- **crusty** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/crafty-vs-crusty)
- **craft** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/craft-vs-crafty)
- **catty** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/catty-vs-crafty)
- **chatty** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/chatty-vs-crafty)
- **crafted** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/crafted-vs-crafty)

## Common misspellings (10)
`carfty`, `ccrafty`, `craffty`, `craftty`, `craftyy`, `crafyt`, `cratfy`, `crfaty`, `crrafty`, `rcafty`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/crafty