# crick

> English word · Noun · IPA /kɹɪk/ · frequency rank #36,944

## Definitions
1. A painful muscular cramp or spasm of some part of the body, as of the neck or back, making it difficult to move the part affected.
2. A small jackscrew.

## Etymology
From Middle English crike, crykke (“muscular spasm of the neck”), attested since the 1400s. Likely related to Old Norse kriki (“bend; nook”), whence also crick (“creek”) and creek.

## Easily confused with
- **croc** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/crick-vs-croc)
- **Cris** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/crick-vs-cris)
- **crit** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/crick-vs-crit)
- **crim** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/crick-vs-crim)
- **cuck** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/crick-vs-cuck)
- **crime** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/crick-vs-crime)
- **cried** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/crick-vs-cried)
- **cries** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/crick-vs-cries)
- **crisp** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/crick-vs-crisp)
- **crook** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/crick-vs-crook)
- **crock** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/crick-vs-crock)
- **crimp** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/crick-vs-crimp)
- **Crist** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/crick-vs-crist)
- **cricket** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/crick-vs-cricket)
- **CRI** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cri-vs-crick)
- **cock** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cock-vs-crick)
- **chic** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/chic-vs-crick)
- **crib** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/crib-vs-crick)
- **check** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/check-vs-crick)
- **click** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/click-vs-crick)

## Common misspellings (8)
`ccrick`, `circk`, `crcik`, `cricck`, `crickk`, `crikc`, `crrick`, `rcick`

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