crane

/kɹeɪn/

//kɹeɪn// noun

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

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

The verdict

“crane” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #8,021 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#8,021
frequency rank, English
5
letters
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Any bird of the family Gruidae, large birds with long legs and a long neck which is extended during flight.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

crane vs crap
60% similar
crane vs Cree
40% similar
crane vs cray
60% similar

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

Key facts for crane
PropertyValue
Headwordcrane
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/kɹeɪn/
Letters5
Frequency rank#8,021
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “crane” 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). crane 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 crane is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /kɹeɪn/. Corpus data places it at rank #8,021 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 6 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for crane, with forms such as "ccrane", "craen", and "cranne". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "crap", "Cree", "cray", 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 crane, from Old English cran (“crane”), from Proto-West Germanic *kran, *kranō, from Proto-Germanic *kranô (“crane”), from Proto-Indo-European *gerh₂- (“to cry hoarsely”). Cognate with Scots cran (“crane”), Dutch kraan (“crane”), German … The correct English form is crane, spelled C-R-A-N-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any bird of the family Gruidae, large birds with long legs and a long neck which is extended during flight.
  2. 2
    Ardea herodias, the great blue heron.
  3. 3
    A mechanical lifting machine or device, often used for lifting heavy loads for industrial or construction purposes.
  4. 4
    An iron arm with horizontal motion, attached to the side or back of a fireplace for supporting kettles etc. over the fire.
  5. 5
    A siphon, or bent pipe, for drawing liquors out of a cask.
  6. 6
    A forked post or projecting bracket to support spars, etc.; generally used in pairs.

Etymology

From Middle English crane, from Old English cran (“crane”), from Proto-West Germanic *kran, *kranō, from Proto-Germanic *kranô (“crane”), from Proto-Indo-European *gerh₂- (“to cry hoarsely”). Cognate with Scots cran (“crane”), Dutch kraan (“crane”), German Low German Kroon (“crane”), German Kran (“crane”). The mechanical devices are named from their likeness to the bird.

This word in other languages

grulla(Español)grue(Français)Kranich(Deutsch)grou(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ccrane,craen,cranne,crnae,crrane,rcane

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ccrane1craen2cranne1crnae2crrane1rcane2
Edit distance from "crane"

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 "crane"?
"crane" is spelled C-R-A-N-E. The IPA pronunciation is /kɹeɪn/.
What does "crane" mean?
As a noun, "crane" means: Any bird of the family Gruidae, large birds with long legs and a long neck which is extended during flight.
What words are commonly confused with "crane"?
"crane" is commonly confused with "crap", "Cree", "cray". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "crane"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "crane" is /kɹeɪn/. 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 "crane"?
From Middle English crane, from Old English cran (“crane”), from Proto-West Germanic *kran, *kranō, from Proto-Germanic *kranô (“crane”), from Proto-Indo-European *gerh₂- (“to cry hoarsely”). Cognate with Scots cran (“crane”), Dutch kraan (“crane”... 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 “crane”

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

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