cross-dressing
"cross-dressing" is a 13-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“cross-dressing” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 14
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The wearing of clothing which society considers appropriate for the opposite sex rather than the wearer's sex.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | cross-dressing |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| Letters | 14 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “cross-dressing” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
cross-dressing is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.
No generated misspelling entries exist for cross-dressing in our index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.
Etymologically, the entry records: From cross- + dressing, a calque of German Transvestismus. The correct English form is cross-dressing, spelled C-R-O-S-S---D-R-E-S-S-I-N-G.
Definition
- 1The wearing of clothing which society considers appropriate for the opposite sex rather than the wearer's sex.
- 2Display by antigen-presenting cells of antigens obtained from the surface of infected cells.
Etymology
From cross- + dressing, a calque of German Transvestismus.
Synonyms
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
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Using “cross-dressing”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is C-R-O-S-S---D-R-E-S-S-I-N-G - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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.