crave

/kɹeɪv/

//kɹeɪv// verb

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

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

The verdict

“crave” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #15,595 in English word frequency and used as a verb.

#15,595
frequency rank, English
5
letters
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To desire strongly, so as to satisfy an appetite; to long or yearn for.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

crave vs Cree
40% similar
crave vs cray
60% similar
crave vs crazy
60% similar

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

Key facts for crave
PropertyValue
Headwordcrave
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/kɹeɪv/
Letters5
Frequency rank#15,595
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “crave” 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). crave 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 crave is 5 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /kɹeɪv/. Corpus data places it at rank #15,595 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 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 crave, with forms such as "ccrave", "craev", and "cravve". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "Cree", "cray", "crazy", 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 craven, from Old English crafian (“to crave, ask, implore, demand, summon”), from Proto-West Germanic *krafōn, from Proto-Germanic *krafjaną (“to demand”). Cognate with Danish kræve (“to demand, require”), Swedish kräva (“to crave, deman… The correct English form is crave, spelled C-R-A-V-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To desire strongly, so as to satisfy an appetite; to long or yearn for.
  2. 2
    To ask for earnestly; to beg or demand, as from a figure of authority.
  3. 3
    To call for; to require as a course of action.

Etymology

From Middle English craven, from Old English crafian (“to crave, ask, implore, demand, summon”), from Proto-West Germanic *krafōn, from Proto-Germanic *krafjaną (“to demand”). Cognate with Danish kræve (“to demand, require”), Swedish kräva (“to crave, demand”), Icelandic krefja (“to demand”), Norwegian kreve (“to demand”).

This word in other languages

anhelar(Español)souhaiter(Français)begehren(Deutsch)ansiar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ccrave,craev,cravve,crrave,crvae,rcave

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ccrave1craev2cravve1crrave1crvae2rcave2
Edit distance from "crave"

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 "crave"?
"crave" is spelled C-R-A-V-E. The IPA pronunciation is /kɹeɪv/.
What does "crave" mean?
As a verb, "crave" means: To desire strongly, so as to satisfy an appetite; to long or yearn for.
What words are commonly confused with "crave"?
"crave" is commonly confused with "Cree", "cray", "crazy". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "crave"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "crave" is /kɹeɪv/. 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 "crave"?
From Middle English craven, from Old English crafian (“to crave, ask, implore, demand, summon”), from Proto-West Germanic *krafōn, from Proto-Germanic *krafjaną (“to demand”). Cognate with Danish kræve (“to demand, require”), Swedish kräva (“to cr... 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 “crave”

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

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