crinoline

/ˈkɹɪnəlɪn/

//ˈkɹɪnəlɪn// noun

"crinoline" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“crinoline” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
9
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A stiff fabric made from cotton and horsehair.

Corpus desk

Index EN-crinoline · crinoline · English

crinoline · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "C" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for crinoline
PropertyValue
Headwordcrinoline
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkɹɪnəlɪn/
Letters9
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “crinoline” in English

crinolinesits beyond the 100,000 most-frequent English words, in the long tail of technical, archaic, or otherwise rare vocabulary where spelling doubt tends to strike hardest.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

crinoline is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈkɹɪnəlɪn/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 5 senses are on record.

No misspelling variants are generated for crinoline in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from French crinoline. The correct English form is crinoline, spelled C-R-I-N-O-L-I-N-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A stiff fabric made from cotton and horsehair.
  2. 2
    A stiff petticoat made from this fabric.
  3. 3
    A skirt stiffened with hoops.
  4. 4
    Any of the hoops making up the framework used to support cladding over a boiler.
  5. 5
    Netting placed around ships to guard against torpedoes.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. These standards have not just been oppressive but deadly. In the nineteenth century, stiff crinoline petticoats puffed out skirts so far that the cheap materials often brushed against open flames and caught fire. This arbitrary convention of dress caused three thousand women to be burned alive.
  2. The various articles of a lady's apparel—dresses, skirts, crinolines, etc.—should be hung neatly away in the closet or wardrobe. The underclothing should be folded and placed in an orderly manner in the drawers of the dressing-bureau.

Etymology

Borrowed from French crinoline.

This word in other languages

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "crinoline"?
"crinoline" is spelled C-R-I-N-O-L-I-N-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkɹɪnəlɪn/.
What does "crinoline" mean?
As a noun, "crinoline" means: A stiff fabric made from cotton and horsehair.
How do you pronounce "crinoline"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "crinoline" is /ˈkɹɪnəlɪn/. 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 "crinoline"?
Borrowed from French crinoline. 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list