craven

/ˈkɹeɪ.vən/

//ˈkɹeɪ.vən// adj

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

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

The verdict

“craven” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #22,633. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#22,633
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Unwilling to fight; lacking even the rudiments of courage; extremely cowardly.

Corpus desk

Index EN-craven · craven · English

craven · rank #22,633 · 9 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #22,633
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH CSR

Nearest frequency peer: CSR (+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 “craven”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “craven” 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).

craven vs craze
67% similar
craven vs crazed
67% similar
craven vs crayon
67% similar

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

Key facts for craven
PropertyValue
Headwordcraven
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈkɹeɪ.vən/
Letters6
Frequency rank#22,633
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “craven”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).cravenlands 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 “CSR” (#22,634), “courtship” (#22,631), “Cumbria” (#22,635). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “craven” is #22,633. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around craven (IPA /ˈkɹeɪ.vən/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #22,633 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Dominant gloss: "Unwilling to fight; lacking even the rudiments of courage; extremely cowardly.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for craven, with forms such as "carven", "ccraven", and "craevn". 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, "craze", "crazed", "crayon", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English cravant, either borrowed from Old French cravanté (“defeated”), past participle of cravanter (ultimately from Latin crepare), or a modification of creaunt (“defeated”) after craven (“to crave”). The correct English form is craven, spelled C-R-A-V-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Unwilling to fight; lacking even the rudiments of courage; extremely cowardly.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The poor craven bridegroom said never a word.
  2. Prime Minister Abe's fumbling and craven performance took place on a national holiday in Korea, marking the countrywide uprising against the Japanese colonial rule that began on March 1, 1919. March 1 is also the day in 1932 that Japan chose to inaugurate Manchukuo (after seizing northeastern China).

Etymology

From Middle English cravant, either borrowed from Old French cravanté (“defeated”), past participle of cravanter (ultimately from Latin crepare), or a modification of creaunt (“defeated”) after craven (“to crave”).

This word in other languages

cobarde(Español)lâche(Français)feige(Deutsch)covarde(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • carven
  • ccraven
  • craevn
  • cravenn
  • cravne
  • cravven
  • crraven
  • crvaen
  • rcaven

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

carven2ccraven1craevn2cravenn1cravne2cravven1crraven1crvaen2
Edit distance from "craven"

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 "craven"?
"craven" is spelled C-R-A-V-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkɹeɪ.vən/.
What does "craven" mean?
As an adjective, "craven" means: Unwilling to fight; lacking even the rudiments of courage; extremely cowardly.
What words are commonly confused with "craven"?
"craven" is commonly confused with "craze", "crazed", "crayon". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "craven"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "craven" is /ˈkɹeɪ.vən/. 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 "craven"?
From Middle English cravant, either borrowed from Old French cravanté (“defeated”), past participle of cravanter (ultimately from Latin crepare), or a modification of creaunt (“defeated”) after craven (“to crave”). 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 "craven", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

deepen#22,639confer#22,625devise#22,645cliché#22,616

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

Corbett9 variantschests9 variantscayman9 variantscarton9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list