crisp

/kɹɪsp/

//kɹɪsp// adj

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

"crisp" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“crisp” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #11,193. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#11,193
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Senses relating to curliness.

Corpus desk

Index EN-crisp · crisp · English

crisp · rank #11,193 · 8 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #11,193
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH creed

Nearest frequency peer: creed (-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 “crisp”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “crisp” 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).

crisp vs CRS
0% similar
crisp vs CSP
0% similar
crisp vs crop
60% similar

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

Key facts for crisp
PropertyValue
Headwordcrisp
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/kɹɪsp/
Letters5
Frequency rank#11,193
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “crisp”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).crisplands 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 “creed” (#11,192), “crust” (#11,194), “counterpart” (#11,191). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “crisp” is #11,193. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around crisp (IPA /kɹɪsp/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #11,193 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 12 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for crisp, with forms such as "ccrisp", "cirsp", and "crips". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "CRS", "CSP", "crop", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: The adjective is derived partly from the following: * Etymology 1 sense 1: Middle English crisp (“curly, wavy”), from Old English crisp (“curly”), from Latin crispus (“of hair: crimped, curly”), possibly ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kris-, from *(s)… The correct English form is crisp, spelled C-R-I-S-P.

Definition

  1. 1
    Senses relating to curliness.
  2. 2
    Senses relating to curliness.
  3. 3
    Senses relating to curliness.
  4. 4
    Senses relating to curliness.
  5. 5
    Senses relating to brittleness.
  6. 6
    Senses relating to brittleness.
  7. 7
    Senses relating to brittleness.
  8. 8
    Senses relating to brittleness.
  9. 9
    Senses relating to brittleness.
  10. 10
    Senses relating to brittleness.
  11. 11
    Senses relating to brittleness.
  12. 12
    Senses relating to brittleness.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. A certeyn lightning on his headtop gliſtered harmeleſſe. / His criſp locks frizeling, his temples prettelye ſtroaking.
  2. Bulls are more Criſpe vpon the Fore-head than Covves; […]

Etymology

The adjective is derived partly from the following: * Etymology 1 sense 1: Middle English crisp (“curly, wavy”), from Old English crisp (“curly”), from Latin crispus (“of hair: crimped, curly”), possibly ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kris-, from *(s)ker- (“to bend; to turn”). * Etymology 1 sense 2: from the above, and probably also onomatopoeic, representing a crinkling or crunching sound. Doublet of crape and crepe. Adjective etymology 1 sense 2.2.3 (“of air, weather, etc.: cool and dry”) is transferred from a description of frost or snow as “crisp”, that is, crunchy. The noun is derived partly from the following: * Middle English crisp (“light, crinkled fabric; kind of pastry; crinkliness or roughness of skin”), from crisp (adjective) (see above). * Modern English crisp (adjective) (“having a consistency which is hard yet brittle”).

This word in other languages

crujiente(Español)croquant(Français)spröde(Deutsch)festivo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ccrisp
  • cirsp
  • crips
  • crispp
  • crissp
  • crrisp
  • crsip
  • rcisp

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of crisp - 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.

ccrisp1cirsp2crips2crispp1crissp1crrisp1crsip2rcisp2
Edit distance from "crisp"

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 "crisp"?
"crisp" is spelled C-R-I-S-P. The IPA pronunciation is /kɹɪsp/.
What does "crisp" mean?
As an adjective, "crisp" means: Senses relating to curliness.
What words are commonly confused with "crisp"?
"crisp" is commonly confused with "CRS", "CSP", "crop". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "crisp"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "crisp" is /kɹɪsp/. 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 "crisp"?
The adjective is derived partly from the following: * Etymology 1 sense 1: Middle English crisp (“curly, wavy”), from Old English crisp (“curly”), from Latin crispus (“of hair: crimped, curly”), possibly ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kris-,... 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 "crisp", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

creed#11,192crust#11,194Corey#11,190Ethan#11,206

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

bikini8 variantsBieber8 variantsbeware8 variantsgenome8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list