cranky
/ˈkɹæŋki/
"cranky" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“cranky” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #23,793 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.
- #23,793
- frequency rank, English
- 6
- letters
- 10
- tracked misspellings
- 19
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Not in good working condition; defective, faulty.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | cranky |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /ˈkɹæŋki/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Frequency rank | #23,793 |
| Misspellings tracked | 10 |
| Confusable pairs | 19 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “cranky” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for cranky is 6 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈkɹæŋki/. Corpus data places it at rank #23,793 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 6 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for cranky, with forms such as "carnky", "ccranky", and "crakny". 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 19 confusable-pair relationships, "cray", "crazy", "crony", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.
Etymologically, the entry records: From crank + -y. Compare Middle Low German krankich (“sickly, unwell”). The correct English form is cranky, spelled C-R-A-N-K-Y.
Definition
- 1Not in good working condition; defective, faulty.
- 2Grouchy, grumpy, irritable; easily upset.
- 3Not in perfect mental working order; eccentric, peculiar.
- 4Synonym of crank (“of a ship: liable to capsize because of poorly stowed cargo or insufficient ballast”).
- 5Full of spirit; spirited.
- 6Weak, unwell.
Etymology
From crank + -y. Compare Middle Low German krankich (“sickly, unwell”).
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: carnky,ccranky,crakny,crankky,crankyy,crannky,cranyk,crnaky,crranky,rcanky
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of cranky - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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
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Using “cranky”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is C-R-A-N-K-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈkɹæŋki/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “cray” - see the side-by-side comparison. cranky vs cray
- 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.