crease

/kɹiːs/

//kɹiːs// noun

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

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

The verdict

“crease” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #19,303. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#19,303
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A line or mark made by folding or doubling any pliable substance; hence, a similar mark, however produced.

Corpus desk

Index EN-crease · crease · English

crease · rank #19,303 · 8 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #19,303
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH cursing

Nearest frequency peer: cursing (+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 “crease”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “crease” 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).

crease vs Cree
50% similar
crease vs crews
67% similar
crease vs crest
67% similar

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

Key facts for crease
PropertyValue
Headwordcrease
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/kɹiːs/
Letters6
Frequency rank#19,303
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “crease”

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

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “cursing” (#19,304), “cosy” (#19,301), “deadliest” (#19,305). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “crease” is #19,303. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around crease (IPA /kɹiːs/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #19,303 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for crease, with forms such as "ccrease", "cerase", and "craese". 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, "Cree", "crews", "crest", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From earlier English creast, from Middle English crest (“ridge, crest”). More at crest. The correct English form is crease, spelled C-R-E-A-S-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A line or mark made by folding or doubling any pliable substance; hence, a similar mark, however produced.
  2. 2
    One of the white lines drawn on the pitch to show different areas of play; especially the popping crease, but also the bowling crease and the return crease.
  3. 3
    The circle around the goal, which no offensive players may enter during play, unless after scoring.
  4. 4
    The area in front of each goal.
  5. 5
    A crack.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. His pants had a nice sharp crease.
  2. His shirt was brand new with visible creases from its store fold.

Etymology

From earlier English creast, from Middle English crest (“ridge, crest”). More at crest.

Synonyms

zone

This word in other languages

arruga(Español)pli(Français)Falte(Deutsch)ruga(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ccrease
  • cerase
  • craese
  • creaes
  • creasse
  • cresae
  • crrease
  • rcease

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ccrease1cerase2craese2creaes2creasse1cresae2crrease1rcease2
Edit distance from "crease"

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 "crease"?
"crease" is spelled C-R-E-A-S-E. The IPA pronunciation is /kɹiːs/.
What does "crease" mean?
As a noun, "crease" means: A line or mark made by folding or doubling any pliable substance; hence, a similar mark, however produced.
What words are commonly confused with "crease"?
"crease" is commonly confused with "Cree", "crews", "crest". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "crease"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "crease" is /kɹiːs/. 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 "crease"?
From earlier English creast, from Middle English crest (“ridge, crest”). More at crest. 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 "crease", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Corbyn#19,300clerks#19,290chunky#19,288Calais#19,278

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

Aubrey8 variantsgarth8 variantsGillian8 variantshydra8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list