creaky

/ˈkɹiːki/

//ˈkɹiːki// adj

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

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

The verdict

“creaky” is uncommon English (frequency #62,808 among 5,599 “C” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#62,808
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Tending to creak.

Corpus desk

Index EN-creaky · creaky · English

creaky · rank #62,808 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #62,808
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH crowdsourced

Nearest frequency peer: crowdsourced (+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.

Long-tail ranks near “creaky”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “creaky” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for creaky
PropertyValue
Headwordcreaky
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈkɹiːki/
Letters6
Frequency rank#62,808
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “creaky” in English

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).creakyfalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “crowdsourced” (#62,809), “crystallize” (#62,810), “Cowdenbeath” (#62,805). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “creaky” is #62,808. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

creaky is uncommon English at frequency #62,808 among 5,599 “C” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˈkɹiːki/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for creaky, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: From creak + -y. The correct English form is creaky, spelled C-R-E-A-K-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Tending to creak.
  2. 2
    Worn down by overuse; decrepit.
  3. 3
    arthritic or rheumatic.
  4. 4
    Of or relating to a special kind of phonation in which the arytenoid cartilages in the larynx are drawn together, compressing the vocal folds.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. creaky voice

Etymology

From creak + -y.

This word in other languages

gémissant(Français)knarrend(Deutsch)quebradiço(Português)

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 "creaky"?
"creaky" is spelled C-R-E-A-K-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkɹiːki/.
What does "creaky" mean?
As an adjective, "creaky" means: Tending to creak.
How do you pronounce "creaky"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "creaky" is /ˈkɹiːki/. 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 "creaky"?
From creak + -y. 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 "creaky", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

coulee#62,802Cornyn#62,799cornel#62,798concha#62,791

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list