crater

/ˈkɹeɪ.tə(ɹ)/

//ˈkɹeɪ.tə(ɹ)// noun

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

"crater" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“crater” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #13,893. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#13,893
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 hemispherical pit created by the impact of a meteorite or other object.

Corpus desk

Index EN-crater · crater · English

crater · rank #13,893 · 8 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #13,893
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH Cory

Nearest frequency peer: Cory (-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 “crater”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “crater” 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).

crater vs crave
67% similar
crater vs craze
67% similar
crater vs Crete
50% similar

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

Key facts for crater
PropertyValue
Headwordcrater
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkɹeɪ.tə(ɹ)/
Letters6
Frequency rank#13,893
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “crater”

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).craterlands 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 “Cory” (#13,892), “creeping” (#13,894), “convertible” (#13,891). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “crater” is #13,893. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around crater (IPA /ˈkɹeɪ.tə(ɹ)/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #13,893 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for crater, with forms such as "ccrater", "craetr", and "craterr". 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, "crave", "craze", "Crete", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: First coined 1613, from Latin crātēr (“basin”), from Ancient Greek κρᾱτήρ (krātḗr, “mixing-bowl, wassail-bowl”). The correct English form is crater, spelled C-R-A-T-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    A hemispherical pit created by the impact of a meteorite or other object.
  2. 2
    The basin-like opening or mouth of a volcano, through which the chief eruption comes; similarly, the mouth of a geyser, about which a cone of silica is often built up.
  3. 3
    The pit left by the explosion of a mine or bomb.
  4. 4
    Any large, roughly circular depression or hole.
  5. 5
    Alternative spelling of krater (“vessel for mixing water and wine”).

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. But signalman Bridges was never to answer driver Gimbert's desperate question. A deafening, massive blast blew the wagon to shreds, the 44 high-explosive bombs exploding like simultaneous hits from the aircraft they should have been dropped from. The station was instantly reduced to bits of debris, and the line to a huge crater.
  2. The people of those parts lived in underground houses - more of dug-outs - along with their goats and sheep and they had great craters full of wine, barley-wine, that they drank through reeds.

Etymology

First coined 1613, from Latin crātēr (“basin”), from Ancient Greek κρᾱτήρ (krātḗr, “mixing-bowl, wassail-bowl”).

This word in other languages

cráter(Español)cratère(Français)Krater(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ccrater
  • craetr
  • craterr
  • cratre
  • cratter
  • crrater
  • crtaer
  • rcater

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ccrater1craetr2craterr1cratre2cratter1crrater1crtaer2rcater2
Edit distance from "crater"

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 "crater"?
"crater" is spelled C-R-A-T-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkɹeɪ.tə(ɹ)/.
What does "crater" mean?
As a noun, "crater" means: A hemispherical pit created by the impact of a meteorite or other object.
What words are commonly confused with "crater"?
"crater" is commonly confused with "crave", "craze", "Crete". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "crater"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "crater" is /ˈkɹeɪ.tə(ɹ)/. 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 "crater"?
First coined 1613, from Latin crātēr (“basin”), from Ancient Greek κρᾱτήρ (krātḗr, “mixing-bowl, wassail-bowl”). 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 "crater", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

cloudy#13,885canton#13,879drains#13,907booker#13,870

Similar misspelling depth

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

cabbage8 variantsbulbs8 variantsfinch8 variantsfulfil8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list