crisp

/kɹɪsp/adjective, noun, verb

crisp is spelled C-R-I-S-P: 5 letters and one syllable. It appears 5.0 times per million words in written English, the 11,198th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, crisp means “Of hair: curling, especially in tight, stiff curls or ringlets; also (obsolete), of a person: having hair curled in this manner” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).

How many letters and syllables are in crisp?

Letters	5: C-R-I-S-P
Syllables	1 (from its American pronunciation)
In writing	5.0 times per million words; the 11,198th most frequent word form
Wrong spellings searched	none measured in search
Same letters	scrip

Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.

How common is crisp?

Crisp appears 5.0 times per million words in written English, the 11,198th most frequent word form in the list.

crisp0.0010.010.11101001,00010,000

rarerper million words of written Englishmore common

Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).

How do you pronounce crisp?

US /kɹɪsp/
/kɾɪsp/
/kɹəsp/

Crisp has one syllable (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-crisp.ogg, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Naomi_Persephone_Amethyst_(NaomiAmethyst)-crisp.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

What rhymes with crisp?

No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as crisp (/ɪsp/).

Spelled with the same letters in another order: scrip.

Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).

Forms of crisp

crisper comparative
crispest superlative
crisps plural, present, singular, he/she/it
crisping participle, present
crisped participle, past

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What does crisp mean?

The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).

adjective

1
datedOf hair: curling, especially in tight, stiff curls or ringlets; also (obsolete), of a person: having hair curled in this manner.
crisp hair
2
archaicobsoleteOf a body of water, skin, etc.: having a surface which is rippled or wrinkled.
3
archaicSynonym of crispate (“of a leaf: having curled, notched, or wavy edges”); crisped.
4
obsoleteClear; also, shining, or smooth.
5
Having a consistency which is hard yet brittle, and in a condition to break with a sharp fracture; crumbly, friable, short.
The crisp snow crunched underfoot.
6
Not limp; firm, stiff; not stale or wilted; fresh; also, effervescent, lively.
7
Of action, movement, a person's manner, etc.: precise and quick; brisk.
An expert, given a certain query, will often come up with a crisp answer: “yes” or “no”.
8
Of air, weather, etc.: cool and dry; also, of a period of time: characterized by such weather.

noun

1
IrelandUKIn full potato crisp: a thin slice of potato which has been deep-fried until it is brittle and crispy, and eaten when cool; they are typically packaged and sold as a snack.
2
IrelandUKSometimes with a descriptive word: a crispy, savoury snack made of some other ingredient(s) (such as cornmeal or a vegetable) which is baked or deep-fried and eaten like a potato crisp.
kale crisps prawn crisp
3
CanadaUSA type of baked dessert consisting of fruit topped with a crumbly mixture made with fat, flour, and sugar; a crumble.
4
datedslangA banknote; also, a number of banknotes collectively.
5
Chiefly in to a crisp: a food item that has been overcooked, or a thing which has been burned, to the point of becoming charred or dried out.
6
The crispy rind of roast pork; crackling.
7
obsoleteA curly lock of hair, especially one which is tightly curled.
8
obsoleteA delicate fabric, possibly resembling crepe, especially used by women for veils or other head coverings in the past; also, a head covering made of this fabric.

verb

1
To make (something) firm yet brittle; specifically (cooking), to give (food) a crispy surface through frying, grilling, or roasting.
to crisp bacon by frying it
2
datedTo add small amounts of colour to (something); to tinge, to tint.
3
To become firm yet brittle; specifically (cooking), of food: to form a crispy surface through frying, grilling, or roasting.
to put celery into ice water to crisp
4
datedTo make a sharp crackling or crunching sound.
5
datedTo curl (something, such as fabric) into tight, stiff folds or waves; to crimp, to crinkle; specifically, to form (hair) into tight curls or ringlets.
6
datedTo cause (a body of water) to undulate irregularly; to ripple.
7
datedTo twist or wrinkle (a body part).
8
UKdatedTo fold (newly woven cloth).