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” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #19,303 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#19,303
frequency rank, English
6
letters
8
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A line or mark made by folding or doubling any pliable substance; hence, a similar mark, however produced.

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)

Where “crease” 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). crease 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 crease is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /kɹiːs/. Corpus data places it at rank #19,303 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

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.

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.

Using “crease”

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

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