cross-reference
"cross-reference" is a 14-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“cross-reference” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as a noun - the kind of word writers most often double-check.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 15
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A reference or direction in one place in a book or other source of information to information at another place in the same work.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | cross-reference |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| Letters | 15 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “cross-reference” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for cross-reference is 15 letters long, classified as a noun. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "A reference or direction in one place in a book or other source of information to information at another place in the same work.".
No misspelling variants are generated for cross-reference in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.
Etymologically, the entry records: From cross- + reference. The correct English form is cross-reference, spelled C-R-O-S-S---R-E-F-E-R-E-N-C-E.
Definition
- 1A reference or direction in one place in a book or other source of information to information at another place in the same work.
Etymology
From cross- + reference.
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-reference”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is C-R-O-S-S---R-E-F-E-R-E-N-C-E - 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.