cray

/kɹæɪ/

//kɹæɪ// noun

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

"cray" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“cray” has 5 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #28,500. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#28,500
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A crayfish or lobster.

Corpus desk

Index EN-cray · cray · English

cray · rank #28,500 · 5 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #28,500
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 5 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH connective

Nearest frequency peer: connective (-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 “cray”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “cray” 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).

cray vs cry
75% similar
cray vs CSA
0% similar
cray vs CRT
0% similar

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

Key facts for cray
PropertyValue
Headwordcray
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/kɹæɪ/
Letters4
Frequency rank#28,500
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “cray”

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).craylands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “connective” (#28,499), “coloration” (#28,498), “crusty” (#28,503). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “cray” is #28,500. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 5 spelling variants around cray (IPA /kɹæɪ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #28,500 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Dominant gloss: "A crayfish or lobster.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for cray, with forms such as "ccray", "crayy", and "crray". 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, "cry", "CSA", "CRT", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Clipping of crayfish. The correct English form is cray, spelled C-R-A-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    A crayfish or lobster.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. The third stage occurs when the crays moult into miniature adults. They are now completely independent of the mother and leave her permanently after a week or so.

Etymology

Clipping of crayfish.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ccray
  • crayy
  • crray
  • crya
  • rcay

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ccray1crayy1crray1crya2rcay2
Edit distance from "cray"

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 "cray"?
"cray" is spelled C-R-A-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /kɹæɪ/.
What does "cray" mean?
As a noun, "cray" means: A crayfish or lobster.
What words are commonly confused with "cray"?
"cray" is commonly confused with "cry", "CSA", "CRT". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "cray"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "cray" is /kɹæɪ/. 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 "cray"?
Clipping of crayfish. 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 "cray", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Cleo#28,495chit#28,490drab#28,521DSLR#28,522

Similar misspelling depth

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

amit5 variantsgarb5 variantstutu5 variantsInca5 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list