cramp

/kɹæmp/

//kɹæmp// noun

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

"cramp" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“cramp” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #27,418. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#27,418
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A painful contraction of a muscle which cannot be controlled; (sometimes) a similar pain even without noticeable contraction.

Corpus desk

Index EN-cramp · cramp · English

cramp · rank #27,418 · 8 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #27,418
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH Covington

Nearest frequency peer: Covington (-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 “cramp”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “cramp” 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).

cramp vs CRM
0% similar
cramp vs crap
80% similar
cramp vs crop
60% similar

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

Key facts for cramp
PropertyValue
Headwordcramp
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/kɹæmp/
Letters5
Frequency rank#27,418
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “cramp”

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).cramplands 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 “Covington” (#27,417), “covent” (#27,416), “Curran” (#27,420). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “cramp” is #27,418. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around cramp (IPA /kɹæmp/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #27,418 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for cramp, with forms such as "carmp", "ccramp", and "crammp". 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, "CRM", "crap", "crop", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Etymology tree Proto-Germanic *krampôder. Frankish *krampōder. Proto-Germanic *krampôder. Middle Dutch crampeder. Old French crampebor. Middle English crampe English cramp From Middle English crampe, from Old French crampe (“cramp”), from Frankish *krampa (… The correct English form is cramp, spelled C-R-A-M-P.

Definition

  1. 1
    A painful contraction of a muscle which cannot be controlled; (sometimes) a similar pain even without noticeable contraction.
  2. 2
    That which confines or contracts.
  3. 3
    A clamp for carpentry or masonry.
  4. 4
    A piece of wood having a curve corresponding to that of the upper part of the instep, on which the upper leather of a boot is stretched to give it the requisite shape.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. He retired hurt at 31 due to a leg cramp.
  2. August 1534, Margaret Roper (or Thomas More in her name), letter to Alice Alington the cramp also that divers nights gripeth him in his legs.

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Germanic *krampôder. Frankish *krampōder. Proto-Germanic *krampôder. Middle Dutch crampeder. Old French crampebor. Middle English crampe English cramp From Middle English crampe, from Old French crampe (“cramp”), from Frankish *krampa (“cramp”), from Proto-West Germanic *krampu, from Proto-Germanic *krampō (“cramp, clasp”). Distant relative of English crop.

This word in other languages

calambre(Español)crampe(Français)Krampf(Deutsch)cãibra(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • carmp
  • ccramp
  • crammp
  • crampp
  • crapm
  • crmap
  • crramp
  • rcamp

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

carmp2ccramp1crammp1crampp1crapm2crmap2crramp1rcamp2
Edit distance from "cramp"

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 "cramp"?
"cramp" is spelled C-R-A-M-P. The IPA pronunciation is /kɹæmp/.
What does "cramp" mean?
As a noun, "cramp" means: A painful contraction of a muscle which cannot be controlled; (sometimes) a similar pain even without noticeable contraction.
What words are commonly confused with "cramp"?
"cramp" is commonly confused with "CRM", "crap", "crop". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "cramp"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "cramp" is /kɹæmp/. 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 "cramp"?
Etymology tree Proto-Germanic *krampôder. Frankish *krampōder. Proto-Germanic *krampôder. Middle Dutch crampeder. Old French crampebor. Middle English crampe English cramp From Middle English crampe, from Old French crampe (“cramp”), from Frankish... 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 "cramp", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

decoy#27,424diced#27,432draco#27,437drool#27,439

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

Canaan8 variantsBowles8 variantsAtwood8 variantsAnakin8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list