English Word Reference Free

crease

Definition, pronunciation, etymology, and usage for the English word. Free spelling reference powered by Wiktionary.

Letters

6 characters

Language

English

word origin

Source

Wiktionary

open dictionary

Access

Free

no sign-up needed

Detailed reference entry for the English word "crease", 6-letters, with pronunciation in International Phonetic Alphabet notation, etymology traced through Germanic and Romance roots where applicable, common misspelling variants catalogued from Hunspell error dictionaries, and usage frequency ranked against the top 100,000 English words in the Wordfreq corpus. PlainSpell covers English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German spelling with confusable-pair detection that highlights visually and phonetically similar words. This entry for "crease" includes synonyms, antonyms, homophones, and cross-language translation pointers sourced from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org extract. Whether you are verifying the correct spelling of "crease" for academic writing, checking homophone confusion, or exploring etymological origins, this page provides a citation-backed, free reference that requires no sign-up.

crease is aEnglishnoun. It means: A line or mark made by folding or doubling any pliable substance; hence, a similar mark, however produced. Pronounced /kɹiːs/. Often confused with Cree and crews.

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 rank visualization

Position of crease in English word frequency (lower rank = more common)

Source: Wordfreq corpus

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for crease is 6 letters long, classified as anoun, 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 Hunspell-derived misspelling index lists 8 documented wrong-spelling variants for crease, with forms such as "ccrease", "cerase", and "craese". Each variant represents a distinct typo pattern that appears often enough in corpora to be worth flagging, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution.It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "Cree", "crews", "crest", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From earlier English creast, from Middle English crest (“ridge, crest”). More at crest. Root origin matters for spelling because borrowed morphemes (Greek, Latin, Old French, Old English) carry their source-language orthographic conventions into modern English, which is why historical etymology is often the cleanest predictor of whether a cluster like "-ough", "-eau", or "-tion" will appear. For readers arriving here from a spelling check, the authoritative guidance is: the correct English form is crease, spelled C-R-E-A-S-E, and any other sequence of those letters, regardless of how natural it feels, is a misspelling in standard orthography.

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

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ccrease,cerase,craese,creaes,creasse,cresae,crrease,rcease

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

Relative frequency of common misspelling types for crease

Misspelling Variants of "crease"

ccrease7cerase6craese6creaes6creasse7cresae6crrease7rcease6
Misspelling Variants of "crease"

Frequency rank: #19,303 in English

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.

Nearby English words

Other entries that begin with the letter C in our English index:

Explore PlainSpell

Data Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Frequency data from Wordfreq. Misspellings derived from Hunspell dictionaries.