# crescendo

> English word · Noun · IPA /kɹɪˈʃɛn.dəʊ/ · frequency rank #35,673

## Definitions
1. An instruction to play gradually more loudly, denoted by a long, narrow angle with its apex on the left ( < ), by musicians called a hairpin.
2. A gradual increase of anything, especially to a dramatic climax.
3. The climax of a gradual increase.

## Etymology
Borrowed from Italian crescendo, gerund of crescere (“to grow, to increase”).

## Easily confused with
- **crescent** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/crescendo-vs-crescent)

## Common misspellings (14)
`ccrescendo`, `cerscendo`, `crecsendo`, `cresccendo`, `crescedno`, `crescenddo`, `crescenndo`, `crescenod`, `crescnedo`, `cresecndo`, `cresscendo`, `crrescendo`, `crsecendo`, `rcescendo`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/crescendo