crimson

/ˈkɹɪmzən/

//ˈkɹɪmzən// noun

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

"crimson" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“crimson” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #12,950. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#12,950
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A deep, slightly bluish red.

Corpus desk

Index EN-crimson · crimson · English

crimson · rank #12,950 · 11 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #12,950
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH contender

Nearest frequency peer: contender (-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 “crimson”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “crimson” 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).

crimson vs Clemson
57% similar
crimson vs Crimean
57% similar

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

Key facts for crimson
PropertyValue
Headwordcrimson
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkɹɪmzən/
Letters7
Frequency rank#12,950
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “crimson”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).crimsonlands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “contender” (#12,949), “crypto” (#12,951), “consul” (#12,948). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “crimson” is #12,950. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around crimson (IPA /ˈkɹɪmzən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #12,950 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Dominant gloss: "A deep, slightly bluish red.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for crimson, with forms such as "ccrimson", "cirmson", and "crimmson". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "Clemson", "Crimean", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: PIE word *kʷŕ̥mis Late Middle English cremesyn, from obsolete French cramoisin or Old Spanish cremesín, from Arabic قِرْمِز (qirmiz), from Classical Persian کرمست (kirmist), from Middle Persian; see Proto-Indo-Iranian *kŕ̥miš. Cognate with Sanskrit कृमिज (… The correct English form is crimson, spelled C-R-I-M-S-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    A deep, slightly bluish red.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. To my horror I perceived that the yellow blossoms were all dabbled with crimson.

Etymology

PIE word *kʷŕ̥mis Late Middle English cremesyn, from obsolete French cramoisin or Old Spanish cremesín, from Arabic قِرْمِز (qirmiz), from Classical Persian کرمست (kirmist), from Middle Persian; see Proto-Indo-Iranian *kŕ̥miš. Cognate with Sanskrit कृमिज (kṛmija). Doublet of kermes; also see carmine.

This word in other languages

carmín(Español)cramoisi(Français)Purpur(Deutsch)carmim(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ccrimson
  • cirmson
  • crimmson
  • crimosn
  • crimsno
  • crimsonn
  • crimsson
  • crismon
  • crmison
  • crrimson
  • rcimson

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of crimson - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

ccrimson1cirmson2crimmson1crimosn2crimsno2crimsonn1crimsson1crismon2
Edit distance from "crimson"

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 "crimson"?
"crimson" is spelled C-R-I-M-S-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkɹɪmzən/.
What does "crimson" mean?
As a noun, "crimson" means: A deep, slightly bluish red.
What words are commonly confused with "crimson"?
"crimson" is commonly confused with "Clemson", "Crimean". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "crimson"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "crimson" is /ˈkɹɪmzən/. 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 "crimson"?
PIE word *kʷŕ̥mis Late Middle English cremesyn, from obsolete French cramoisin or Old Spanish cremesín, from Arabic قِرْمِز (qirmiz), from Classical Persian کرمست (kirmist), from Middle Persian; see Proto-Indo-Iranian *kŕ̥miš. Cognate with Sanskr... 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 "crimson", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

debated#12,954cockpit#12,943emerald#12,965breaker#12,925

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

communion11 variantsclippers11 variantsflawless11 variantsBedford11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list