cram

/kɹæm/

//kɹæm// verb

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

"cram" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“cram” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #24,128. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#24,128
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To press, force, or drive, particularly in filling, or in thrusting one thing into another; to stuff; to fill to superfluity.

Corpus desk

Index EN-cram · cram · English

cram · rank #24,128 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #24,128
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH coulter

Nearest frequency peer: coulter (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “cram”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

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

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).

cram vs cry
50% similar
cram vs cum
50% similar
cram vs CSA
0% similar

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

Key facts for cram
PropertyValue
Headwordcram
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/kɹæm/
Letters4
Frequency rank#24,128
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “cram”

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).cramlands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “coulter” (#24,127), “Crawley” (#24,129), “cordon” (#24,126). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “cram” is #24,128. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around cram (IPA /kɹæm/), averb. Corpus frequency is #24,128 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 7 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for cram, with forms such as "carm", "ccram", and "cramm". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "cry", "cum", "CSA", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English crammen, from Old English crammian (“to cram; stuff”), from Proto-West Germanic *krammōn, from Proto-Germanic *krammōną, a secondary verb derived from *krimmaną (“to stuff”), from Proto-Indo-European *ger- (“to assemble; collect; gather”… The correct English form is cram, spelled C-R-A-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    To press, force, or drive, particularly in filling, or in thrusting one thing into another; to stuff; to fill to superfluity.
  2. 2
    To fill with food to satiety; to stuff.
  3. 3
    To put hastily through an extensive course of memorizing or study, as in preparation for an examination.
  4. 4
    To study hard; to swot.
  5. 5
    To eat greedily, and to satiety; to stuff oneself.
  6. 6
    To lie; to intentionally not tell the truth.
  7. 7
    To make (a person) believe false or exaggerated tales.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. to cram fruit into a basket; to cram a room with people
  2. Are we to blame Livingstone for Tube overcrowding? In part, yes, but as Sir John Eliot had observed in 1955, while Chairman of the London Transport Executive: 'They're not crammed in. They cram themselves in.'

Etymology

From Middle English crammen, from Old English crammian (“to cram; stuff”), from Proto-West Germanic *krammōn, from Proto-Germanic *krammōną, a secondary verb derived from *krimmaną (“to stuff”), from Proto-Indo-European *ger- (“to assemble; collect; gather”). Compare Old English crimman (“to cram; stuff; insert; press; bruise”), Icelandic kremja (“to squeeze; crush; bruise”).

This word in other languages

atestar(Español)bourrer(Français)stopfen(Deutsch)entupir(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • carm
  • ccram
  • cramm
  • crma
  • crram
  • rcam

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of cram - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

carm2ccram1cramm1crma2crram1rcam2
Edit distance from "cram"

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 "cram"?
"cram" is spelled C-R-A-M. The IPA pronunciation is /kɹæm/.
What does "cram" mean?
As a verb, "cram" means: To press, force, or drive, particularly in filling, or in thrusting one thing into another; to stuff; to fill to superfluity.
What words are commonly confused with "cram"?
"cram" is commonly confused with "cry", "cum", "CSA". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "cram"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "cram" is /kɹæm/. 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 "cram"?
From Middle English crammen, from Old English crammian (“to cram; stuff”), from Proto-West Germanic *krammōn, from Proto-Germanic *krammōną, a secondary verb derived from *krimmaną (“to stuff”), from Proto-Indo-European *ger- (“to assemble; collec... 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 "cram", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

CNBC#24,116diss#24,144doth#24,145fave#24,156

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).

bayou6 variantsavian6 variantsArtie6 variantsAndes6 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list