creepy

/ˈkɹiːpi/

//ˈkɹiːpi// adj

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

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

The verdict

“creepy” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #6,671. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#6,671
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
15
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Moving by creeping along.

Corpus desk

Index EN-creepy · creepy · English

creepy · rank #6,671 · 9 variants · 15 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #6,671
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 15 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH crashed

Nearest frequency peer: crashed (-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 “creepy”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “creepy” 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).

creepy vs crept
67% similar
creepy vs crispy
67% similar
creepy vs Cree
50% similar

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

Key facts for creepy
PropertyValue
Headwordcreepy
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈkɹiːpi/
Letters6
Frequency rank#6,671
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs15
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “creepy”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).creepylands 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 “crashed” (#6,670), “cum” (#6,672), “counted” (#6,669). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “creepy” is #6,671. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around creepy (IPA /ˈkɹiːpi/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #6,671 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for creepy, with forms such as "ccreepy", "cerepy", and "creeppy". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 15 confusable-pair relationships, "crept", "crispy", "Cree", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *grewbʰ-der. Proto-Germanic *kreupaną Proto-West Germanic *kreupan Old English crēopan Middle English crepen English creep Proto-Indo-European *-kos Proto-Germanic *-gaz Proto-West Germanic *-g Old English -iġ Middle Engli… The correct English form is creepy, spelled C-R-E-E-P-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Moving by creeping along.
  2. 2
    Producing an uneasy fearful sensation, as of things crawling over one's skin.
  3. 3
    Causing discomfort or repulsion due to strange or eccentric behavior.
  4. 4
    Causing discomfort through exhibiting sexually inappropriate behavior.
  5. 5
    Feeling an uneasy fearful sensation; creeped out.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. creepy-crawlies
  2. The Beaver brought paper, portfolio, pens, / And ink in unfailing supplies: / While strange creepy creatures came out of their dens, / And watched them with wondering eyes.

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *grewbʰ-der. Proto-Germanic *kreupaną Proto-West Germanic *kreupan Old English crēopan Middle English crepen English creep Proto-Indo-European *-kos Proto-Germanic *-gaz Proto-West Germanic *-g Old English -iġ Middle English -y English -y English creepy From creep + -y.

This word in other languages

espeluznante(Español)angoissant(Français)kriechend(Deutsch)horripilante(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ccreepy
  • cerepy
  • creeppy
  • creepyy
  • creeyp
  • crepey
  • crepy
  • crreepy
  • rceepy

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of creepy - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

ccreepy1cerepy2creeppy1creepyy1creeyp2crepey2crepy1crreepy1
Edit distance from "creepy"

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 "creepy"?
"creepy" is spelled C-R-E-E-P-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkɹiːpi/.
What does "creepy" mean?
As an adjective, "creepy" means: Moving by creeping along.
What words are commonly confused with "creepy"?
"creepy" is commonly confused with "crept", "crispy", "Cree". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "creepy"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "creepy" is /ˈkɹiːpi/. 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 "creepy"?
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *grewbʰ-der. Proto-Germanic *kreupaną Proto-West Germanic *kreupan Old English crēopan Middle English crepen English creep Proto-Indo-European *-kos Proto-Germanic *-gaz Proto-West Germanic *-g Old English -iġ Mi... 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 "creepy", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

comply#6,667donate#6,675collar#6,665brooks#6,660

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

blonde9 variantsflavor9 variantsgloves9 variantsharper9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list