creaky
/ˈkɹiːki/adjective
creaky is spelled C-R-E-A-K-Y: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 4 million words in written English, the 62,894th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, creaky means “Tending to creak” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in creaky?
| Letters | 6: C-R-E-A-K-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 4 million words; the 62,894th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Sounds like | |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is creaky?
Creaky appears about once in every 4 million words in written English, the 62,894th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce creaky?
- /ˈkɹiːki/
Creaky has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-creaky.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with creaky
Sounds like: creeky (Wiktionary's homophone list; some hold only in some accents).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with creaky?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as creaky.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: cakery.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of creaky
- creakier comparative
- creakiest superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does creaky mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Tending to creak.
- 2
Worn down by overuse; decrepit.
- 3
arthritic or rheumatic.
- 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.
creaky tone
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Creaky in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense tending to creak:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | gémissant, grinçant |
| German | knarrend, quietschend |
| Portuguese | quebrável, quebradiço |
| Spanish | rechinador, rechinante |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does creaky come from?
From creak + -y.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).