craving

/ˈkɹeɪ.vɪŋ/

//ˈkɹeɪ.vɪŋ// noun

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

"craving" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“craving” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #13,694. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#13,694
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A strong desire; yearning.

Corpus desk

Index EN-craving · craving · English

craving · rank #13,694 · 10 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #13,694
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH convict

Nearest frequency peer: convict (-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 “craving”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “craving” 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).

craving vs crying
71% similar
craving vs curving
71% similar
craving vs creating
75% similar

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

Key facts for craving
PropertyValue
Headwordcraving
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkɹeɪ.vɪŋ/
Letters7
Frequency rank#13,694
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “craving”

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).cravinglands 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 “convict” (#13,693), “culinary” (#13,695), “contend” (#13,692). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “craving” is #13,694. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around craving (IPA /ˈkɹeɪ.vɪŋ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #13,694 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Dominant gloss: "A strong desire; yearning.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for craving, with forms such as "ccraving", "craivng", and "cravign". 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, "crying", "curving", "creating", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English cravinge, from Old English crafing (“claim, demand”); equivalent to crave + -ing. The correct English form is craving, spelled C-R-A-V-I-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    A strong desire; yearning.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. [W]e contrived to satisfy the cravings of thirst by suffering the shirts to become saturated, and then wringing them so as to let the grateful fluid trickle into our mouths.
  2. The craving for cuteness is a psychological phenomenon that originally had the purpose of increasing the chances of a baby to survive […]

Etymology

From Middle English cravinge, from Old English crafing (“claim, demand”); equivalent to crave + -ing.

Synonyms

acheappetencyappetitecravinghankeringhungerimpulseitchjonesletchlickerishlonginglustpiningthirsturgeyearningyen

This word in other languages

ansia(Español)Gelüst(Deutsch)ânsia(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ccraving
  • craivng
  • cravign
  • cravingg
  • cravinng
  • cravnig
  • cravving
  • crraving
  • crvaing
  • rcaving

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of craving - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

ccraving1craivng2cravign2cravingg1cravinng1cravnig2cravving1crraving1
Edit distance from "craving"

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 "craving"?
"craving" is spelled C-R-A-V-I-N-G. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkɹeɪ.vɪŋ/.
What does "craving" mean?
As a noun, "craving" means: A strong desire; yearning.
What words are commonly confused with "craving"?
"craving" is commonly confused with "crying", "curving", "creating". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "craving"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "craving" is /ˈkɹeɪ.vɪŋ/. 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 "craving"?
From Middle English cravinge, from Old English crafing (“claim, demand”); equivalent to crave + -ing. 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 "craving", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

convict#13,693contend#13,692commute#13,687clicked#13,686

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

eminent10 variantscalmly10 variantsbooster10 variantsbedtime10 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list