cramp
/kɹæmp/noun, verb
cramp is spelled C-R-A-M-P: 5 letters and one syllable. It appears 1.1 times per million words in written English, the 27,462nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, cramp means “A painful contraction of a muscle which cannot be controlled; (sometimes) a similar pain even without noticeable contraction” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of cramp is cramps.
How many letters and syllables are in cramp?
| Letters | 5: C-R-A-M-P |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.1 times per million words; the 27,462nd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is cramp?
Cramp appears 1.1 times per million words in written English, the 27,462nd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce cramp?
- /kɹæmp/
Cramp has one syllable (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-cramp.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of cramp
- cramps plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- cramping participle, present
- cramped participle, past
- more cramp comparative
- most cramp superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does cramp mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A painful contraction of a muscle which cannot be controlled; (sometimes) a similar pain even without noticeable contraction.
He retired hurt at 31 due to a leg cramp.
- 2
That which confines or contracts.
- 3
A clamp for carpentry or masonry.
- 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.
verb
- 1
(of a muscle) To contract painfully and uncontrollably.
- 2
To affect with cramps or spasms.
The collar of the tunic scratched my neck, the steel helmet made my head ache, and the puttees cramped my leg muscles.
- 3
To prohibit movement or expression of.
You're cramping my style.
- 4
To restrain to a specific physical position, as if with a cramp.
You're going to need to cramp the wheels on this hill.
- 5
To fasten or hold with, or as if with, a cramp iron.
- 6
To bind together; to unite.
- 7
To form on a cramp.
to cramp boot legs
adjective
- 1
archaiccramped; narrow
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Cramp in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | crampe |
| German | Krampf , krampfen |
| Portuguese | cãibra |
| Spanish | calambre, rampa, acalambramiento, arratonamiento , acalambrarse, encalambrarse |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does cramp come from?
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.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).