cronyism

/ˈkɹəʊnɪɪz(ə)m/

//ˈkɹəʊnɪɪz(ə)m// noun

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

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

The verdict

“cronyism” is uncommon English (frequency #50,451 among 43,570 “C” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#50,451
frequency rank, English
43,570
“C” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Favouritism to friends without regard for their qualifications; especially (politics), in their appointment to political positions.

Key facts for cronyism
PropertyValue
Headwordcronyism
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkɹəʊnɪɪz(ə)m/
Letters8
Frequency rank#50,451
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “cronyism” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

cronyism is uncommon English at frequency #50,451 among 43,570 “C” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈkɹəʊnɪɪz(ə)m/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for cronyism, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: From crony (“close friend”) + -ism (suffix forming names of a tendency of action, behaviour, condition, opinion, or state belonging to a class or group of persons). The correct English form is cronyism, spelled C-R-O-N-Y-I-S-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    Favouritism to friends without regard for their qualifications; especially (politics), in their appointment to political positions.
  2. 2
    The condition of being friends; friendship; also, the ability or inclination to make friends.

Etymology

From crony (“close friend”) + -ism (suffix forming names of a tendency of action, behaviour, condition, opinion, or state belonging to a class or group of persons).

This word in other languages

amiguismo(Español)copinage(Français)Freunderlwirtschaft(Deutsch)

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 "cronyism"?
"cronyism" is spelled C-R-O-N-Y-I-S-M. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkɹəʊnɪɪz(ə)m/.
What does "cronyism" mean?
As a noun, "cronyism" means: Favouritism to friends without regard for their qualifications; especially (politics), in their appointment to political positions.
How do you pronounce "cronyism"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "cronyism" is /ˈkɹəʊnɪɪz(ə)m/. 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 "cronyism"?
From crony (“close friend”) + -ism (suffix forming names of a tendency of action, behaviour, condition, opinion, or state belonging to a class or group of persons). 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.

Using “cronyism”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is C-R-O-N-Y-I-S-M - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈkɹəʊnɪɪz(ə)m/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list