criminal

/ˈkɹɪm.ɪ.nəl/

//ˈkɹɪm.ɪ.nəl// adj

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

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

The verdict

“criminal” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #1,818. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#1,818
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Against the law; forbidden by law.

Corpus desk

Index EN-criminal · criminal · English

criminal · rank #1,818 · 12 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #1,818
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH corner

Nearest frequency peer: corner (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “criminal”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “criminal” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

criminal vs critical
75% similar
criminal vs criminals
89% similar
criminal vs criminally
80% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for criminal
PropertyValue
Headwordcriminal
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈkɹɪm.ɪ.nəl/
Letters8
Frequency rank#1,818
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “criminal”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).criminallands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “corner” (#1,817), “cultural” (#1,819), “conversation” (#1,816). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “criminal” is #1,818. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around criminal (IPA /ˈkɹɪm.ɪ.nəl/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #1,818 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for criminal, with forms such as "ccriminal", "cirminal", and "criimnal". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 3 confusable-pair relationships, "critical", "criminals", "criminally", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English cryminal, borrowed from Anglo-Norman criminal, from Late Latin criminalis, from Latin crimen (“crime”). The correct English form is criminal, spelled C-R-I-M-I-N-A-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    Against the law; forbidden by law.
  2. 2
    Guilty of breaking the law.
  3. 3
    Of or relating to crime or penal law.
  4. 4
    Abhorrent or very undesirable.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how criminal appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Foppish and fantastic ornaments are only indications of vice, not criminal in themselves.
  2. The neglect of any of the relative duties renders us criminal in the sight of God.

Etymology

From Middle English cryminal, borrowed from Anglo-Norman criminal, from Late Latin criminalis, from Latin crimen (“crime”).

This word in other languages

criminel(Français)kriminell(Deutsch)criminal(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ccriminal
  • cirminal
  • criimnal
  • crimianl
  • criminall
  • criminla
  • criminnal
  • crimminal
  • crimnial
  • crmiinal
  • crriminal
  • rciminal

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of criminal - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

ccriminal1cirminal2criimnal2crimianl2criminall1criminla2criminnal1crimminal1
Edit distance from "criminal"

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 "criminal"?
"criminal" is spelled C-R-I-M-I-N-A-L. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkɹɪm.ɪ.nəl/.
What does "criminal" mean?
As an adjective, "criminal" means: Against the law; forbidden by law.
What words are commonly confused with "criminal"?
"criminal" is commonly confused with "critical", "criminals", "criminally". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "criminal"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "criminal" is /ˈkɹɪm.ɪ.nəl/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "criminal"?
From Middle English cryminal, borrowed from Anglo-Norman criminal, from Late Latin criminalis, from Latin crimen (“crime”). See the full etymology section above for more details.
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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "criminal", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

cultural#1,819existing#1,823believed#1,810slightly#1,839

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

surprise12 variantsviolence12 variantsappreciate12 variantsbreaking12 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list