craze

/kɹeɪz/

//kɹeɪz// noun

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

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

The verdict

“craze” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #18,283 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#18,283
frequency rank, English
5
letters
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A strong habitual desire or fancy.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

craze vs Cruz
40% similar
craze vs Cree
40% similar
craze vs crazy
80% similar

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

Key facts for craze
PropertyValue
Headwordcraze
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/kɹeɪz/
Letters5
Frequency rank#18,283
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “craze” 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). craze 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 craze is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /kɹeɪz/. Corpus data places it at rank #18,283 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for craze, with forms such as "carze", "ccraze", and "craez". 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, "Cruz", "Cree", "crazy", 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 crasen (“to crush, break, break to pieces, shatter, craze”), from Old Norse *krasa (“to shatter”), ultimately imitative. Cognate with Scots krass (“to crush, squeeze, wrinkle”), Icelandic krasa (“to crackle”), Norwegian krasa (“to shatte… The correct English form is craze, spelled C-R-A-Z-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A strong habitual desire or fancy.
  2. 2
    A temporary passion or infatuation, as for some new amusement, pursuit, or fashion; a fad.
  3. 3
    A crack in the glaze or enamel caused by exposure of the pottery to great or irregular heat.
  4. 4
    Craziness; insanity.

Etymology

From Middle English crasen (“to crush, break, break to pieces, shatter, craze”), from Old Norse *krasa (“to shatter”), ultimately imitative. Cognate with Scots krass (“to crush, squeeze, wrinkle”), Icelandic krasa (“to crackle”), Norwegian krasa (“to shatter, crush”), Swedish krasa (“to crack, crackle”), Danish krase (“to crack, crackle”), Faroese kras (“small pieces”).

This word in other languages

manía(Español)engouement(Français)Fimmel(Deutsch)febre(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: carze,ccraze,craez,crazze,crraze,crzae,rcaze

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

carze2ccraze1craez2crazze1crraze1crzae2rcaze2
Edit distance from "craze"

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 "craze"?
"craze" is spelled C-R-A-Z-E. The IPA pronunciation is /kɹeɪz/.
What does "craze" mean?
As a noun, "craze" means: A strong habitual desire or fancy.
What words are commonly confused with "craze"?
"craze" is commonly confused with "Cruz", "Cree", "crazy". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "craze"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "craze" is /kɹeɪz/. 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 "craze"?
From Middle English crasen (“to crush, break, break to pieces, shatter, craze”), from Old Norse *krasa (“to shatter”), ultimately imitative. Cognate with Scots krass (“to crush, squeeze, wrinkle”), Icelandic krasa (“to crackle”), Norwegian krasa (... 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 “craze”

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

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