# cricket

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈkɹɪk.ɪt/ · frequency rank #3,682

## Definitions
1. An insect in the order Orthoptera, especially family Gryllidae, that makes a chirping sound by rubbing its wing casings against combs on its hind legs.
2. An insect in the order Orthoptera, especially family Gryllidae, that makes a chirping sound by rubbing its wing casings against combs on its hind legs.
3. A signalling device used by soldiers in hostile territory to identify themselves to a friendly in low visibility conditions.
4. An aural warning sound consisting of a continuously-repeating chime, designed to be difficult for pilots to ignore.

## Etymology
From Middle English creket, crykett, crykette, from Old French criket (with diminutive -et) from criquer (“to make a cracking sound; creak”), from Middle Dutch kricken (“to creak; crack”), from Proto-West Germanic *krakōn, from Proto-Germanic *krakōną, related to Middle English creken, criken (“to creak”), all ultimately of imitative origin.
Compare Dutch kriek (“cricket”), Middle Dutch krikel, criekel, crekel (“cricket”) (with diminituve -el), Middle Low German krikel, krekel (“cricket”), German Kreckel (“cricket”). More at creak.

## Easily confused with
- **crochet** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cricket-vs-crochet)
- **crocker** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cricket-vs-crocker)
- **crickets** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cricket-vs-crickets)
- **Crockett** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cricket-vs-crockett)
- **cricketer** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cricket-vs-cricketer)
- **crick** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/crick-vs-cricket)
- **chicken** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/chicken-vs-cricket)
- **cracked** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cracked-vs-cricket)
- **clicked** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/clicked-vs-cricket)
- **cracker** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cracker-vs-cricket)
- **clicker** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/clicker-vs-cricket)

## Common misspellings (11)
`ccricket`, `circket`, `crciket`, `criccket`, `cricekt`, `crickett`, `crickket`, `crickte`, `crikcet`, `crricket`, `rcicket`

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