critical

/ˈkɹɪt.ɪ.kəl/

//ˈkɹɪt.ɪ.kəl// adj

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

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

The verdict

“critical” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #1,559. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#1,559
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
5
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Inclined to find fault or criticize.

Corpus desk

Index EN-critical · critical · English

critical · rank #1,559 · 12 variants · 5 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #1,559
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 5 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH covered

Nearest frequency peer: covered (-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 “critical”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “critical” 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).

critical vs critically
80% similar
critical vs critic
75% similar
critical vs criminal
75% similar

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

Key facts for critical
PropertyValue
Headwordcritical
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈkɹɪt.ɪ.kəl/
Letters8
Frequency rank#1,559
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs5
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “critical”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).criticallands 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 “covered” (#1,558), “digital” (#1,560), “count” (#1,557). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “critical” is #1,559. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around critical (IPA /ˈkɹɪt.ɪ.kəl/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #1,559 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 11 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for critical, with forms such as "ccritical", "cirtical", and "criitcal". 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 5 confusable-pair relationships, "critically", "critic", "criminal", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin criticus + -al, from Ancient Greek κριτικός (kritikós, “of or for judging, able to discern”), from κρίνω (krínō, “to separate, judge”); also the root of crisis. The correct English form is critical, spelled C-R-I-T-I-C-A-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    Inclined to find fault or criticize.
  2. 2
    Pertaining to, or indicating, a crisis or turning point.
  3. 3
    Extremely important.
  4. 4
    Relating to criticism or careful analysis, such as literary or film criticism.
  5. 5
    Relating to criticism or careful analysis, such as literary or film criticism.
  6. 6
    Of a patient condition involving unstable vital signs and a prognosis that predicts the condition could worsen; or, a patient condition that requires urgent treatment in an intensive care or critical care medical facility.
  7. 7
    In such a condition.
  8. 8
    Likely to go out of control if disturbed, that is, opposite of stable.
  9. 9
    Of the point (in temperature, reagent concentration etc.) where a nuclear or chemical reaction becomes self-sustaining.
  10. 10
    Of a temperature that is equal to the temperature of the critical point of a substance, i.e. the temperature above which the substance cannot be liquefied.
  11. 11
    Needing great discrimination to be correctly classified; easily confused.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. A good teacher is fair but critical.
  2. Let us go back to the beginning and consider what the charge is that has made people so critical of me, and has encouraged Meletus to draw up this indictment.

Etymology

From Latin criticus + -al, from Ancient Greek κριτικός (kritikós, “of or for judging, able to discern”), from κρίνω (krínō, “to separate, judge”); also the root of crisis.

This word in other languages

crítico(Español)critique(Français)kritisch(Deutsch)crítico(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ccritical
  • cirtical
  • criitcal
  • critcial
  • critiacl
  • criticall
  • criticcal
  • criticla
  • crittical
  • crritical
  • crtiical
  • rcitical

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ccritical1cirtical2criitcal2critcial2critiacl2criticall1criticcal1criticla2
Edit distance from "critical"

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 "critical"?
"critical" is spelled C-R-I-T-I-C-A-L. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkɹɪt.ɪ.kəl/.
What does "critical" mean?
As an adjective, "critical" means: Inclined to find fault or criticize.
What words are commonly confused with "critical"?
"critical" is commonly confused with "critically", "critic", "criminal". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "critical"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "critical" is /ˈkɹɪt.ɪ.kəl/. 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 "critical"?
From Latin criticus + -al, from Ancient Greek κριτικός (kritikós, “of or for judging, able to discern”), from κρίνω (krínō, “to separate, judge”); also the root of crisis. 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 "critical", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

appeared#1,551separate#1,577southern#1,540solution#1,537

Similar misspelling depth

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

benefits12 variantsreturned12 variantsreligious12 variantspowerful12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list