crestfallen
/ˈkɹɛstfɔːlən/
"crestfallen" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“crestfallen” is an uncommon English word, ranked #78,497 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.
- #78,497
- frequency rank, English
- 11
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Sad because of a disappointment.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | crestfallen |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /ˈkɹɛstfɔːlən/ |
| Letters | 11 |
| Frequency rank | #78,497 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “crestfallen” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for crestfallen is 11 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈkɹɛstfɔːlən/. Corpus data places it at rank #78,497 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for crestfallen, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: From crest + fallen, from the appearance of a horse with its crest (head) on its chest after defeat in a battle. The correct English form is crestfallen, spelled C-R-E-S-T-F-A-L-L-E-N.
Definition
- 1Sad because of a disappointment.
- 2Having the crest, or upper part of the neck, hanging to one side.
Etymology
From crest + fallen, from the appearance of a horse with its crest (head) on its chest after defeat in a battle.
This word in other languages
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
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Using “crestfallen”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is C-R-E-S-T-F-A-L-L-E-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈkɹɛstfɔːlən/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- 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.