crossbow

Name: crossbow, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/ˈkɹɒsbəʊ/

//ˈkɹɒsbəʊ// noun

By PlainSpell · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed September 3, 2026

The verdict

“crossbow” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #27,107. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#27,107
frequency rank, English: 5,599
“C” headwords: 11
tracked misspellings: 1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A mechanised weapon, based on the bow and arrow, that shoots bolts.

Corpus desk

Index EN-crossbow · crossbow · English

crossbow · rank #27,107 · 11 variants · 1 confusable

FREQ-MID #27,107
LEN-LONG 8 letters
VOW-2 2 vowels
CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
VAR-MID 11 variants
BOOK-DENSE 5,599
PHOTO-FINISH cropping

Nearest frequency peer: cropping (-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.

cremated

72,897
CRM

72,896
cropping

72,895
crossbow

72,894
crowding

72,893
crux

72,892

What this shows “crossbow” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

crossbow vs crossbar

75% similar

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

Key facts for crossbow
Property	Value
Headword	crossbow
Language	English
Part of speech	Noun
IPA	/ˈkɹɒsbəʊ/
Letters	8
Frequency rank	#27,107
Misspellings tracked	11
Confusable pairs	1
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “crossbow”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).crossbowlands here:

#27,107

#1#100#1K#10K#100K

← used constantlyrarely used →

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “cropping” (#27,106), “crowding” (#27,108), “CRM” (#27,105). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “crossbow” is #27,107. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around crossbow (IPA /ˈkɹɒsbəʊ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #27,107 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for crossbow, with forms such as "ccrossbow", "corssbow", and "crosbow". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "crossbar", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English crosbowe, crossebowe, equivalent to cross + bow. The correct English form is crossbow, spelled C-R-O-S-S-B-O-W.

Definition

1
A mechanised weapon, based on the bow and arrow, that shoots bolts.
2
A portable ballista that can be held in the hand.

Etymology

From Middle English crosbowe, crossebowe, equivalent to cross + bow.

This word in other languages

ballesta(Español)arbalète(Français)Armbrust(Deutsch)besta(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

ccrossbow
corssbow
crosbow
crosbsow
crossbbow
crossboww
crossbwo
crossobw
crrossbow
crsosbow
rcossbow

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of crossbow - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

Edit distance from "crossbow"

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 "crossbow"?

"crossbow" is spelled C-R-O-S-S-B-O-W. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkɹɒsbəʊ/.

What does "crossbow" mean?

As a noun, "crossbow" means: A mechanised weapon, based on the bow and arrow, that shoots bolts.

What words are commonly confused with "crossbow"?

"crossbow" is commonly confused with "crossbar". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.

How do you pronounce "crossbow"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "crossbow" is /ˈkɹɒsbəʊ/. 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 "crossbow"?

From Middle English crosbowe, crossebowe, equivalent to cross + bow. 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 "crossbow", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

cropping#27,106 crowding#27,108 cremated#27,104 Danville#27,113

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

ducking11 variants expedite11 variants fastball11 variants fearsome11 variants