cresting

/ˈkɹɛstɪŋ/

//ˈkɹɛstɪŋ// verb

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

"cresting" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“cresting” is uncommon English (frequency #84,125 among 43,570 “C” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#84,125
frequency rank, English
43,570
“C” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - present participle and gerund of crest

Key facts for cresting
PropertyValue
Headwordcresting
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈkɹɛstɪŋ/
Letters8
Frequency rank#84,125
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “cresting” 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). cresting lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

cresting is uncommon English at frequency #84,125 among 43,570 “C” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /ˈkɹɛstɪŋ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "present participle and gerund of crest".

No misspelling variants are generated for cresting in our index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct English form is cresting, spelled C-R-E-S-T-I-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    present participle and gerund of crest

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 "cresting"?
"cresting" is spelled C-R-E-S-T-I-N-G. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkɹɛstɪŋ/.
What does "cresting" mean?
As a verb, "cresting" means: present participle and gerund of crest
How do you pronounce "cresting"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "cresting" is /ˈkɹɛstɪŋ/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "cresting" come from?
"cresting" is a English word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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 “cresting”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is C-R-E-S-T-I-N-G - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈkɹɛstɪŋ/ (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

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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