crow

/kɹəʊ/

//kɹəʊ// noun

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

"crow" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“crow” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #9,590. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#9,590
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A bird, usually black, of the genus Corvus, having a strong conical beak, with projecting bristles; it has a harsh, croaking call.

Corpus desk

Index EN-crow · crow · English

crow · rank #9,590 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #9,590
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH constraints

Nearest frequency peer: constraints (-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 “crow”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “crow” 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).

crow vs CW
0% similar
crow vs cry
50% similar
crow vs CRT
0% similar

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

Key facts for crow
PropertyValue
Headwordcrow
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/kɹəʊ/
Letters4
Frequency rank#9,590
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “crow”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).crowlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “constraints” (#9,589), “confront” (#9,588), “Davidson” (#9,592). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “crow” is #9,590. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around crow (IPA /kɹəʊ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #9,590 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 9 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for crow, with forms such as "ccrow", "corw", and "croww". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "CW", "cry", "CRT", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English crowe, from Old English crāwe, from Proto-West Germanic *krāā, from Proto-Germanic *krēǭ (compare West Frisian krie, Dutch kraai, German Krähe), from *krēaną (“to crow”). See below. The correct English form is crow, spelled C-R-O-W.

Definition

  1. 1
    A bird, usually black, of the genus Corvus, having a strong conical beak, with projecting bristles; it has a harsh, croaking call.
  2. 2
    Any of various dark-coloured nymphalid butterflies of the genus Euploea.
  3. 3
    A bar of iron with a beak, crook or claw; a bar of iron used as a lever; a crowbar.
  4. 4
    Someone who keeps watch while their associates commit a crime; a lookout.
  5. 5
    A gangplank (corvus) used by the Ancient Roman navy to board enemy ships.
  6. 6
    The mesentery of an animal.
  7. 7
    An ill-tempered and obstinate woman, or one who otherwise has features resembling the bird; a harpy.
  8. 8
    A black person.
  9. 9
    The emblem of an eagle, a sign of military rank.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Gaslark in his splendour on the golden stairs saying adieu to those three captains and their matchless armament foredoomed to dogs and crows on Salapanta Hills.
  2. He approached the humble tomb in which Antonia reposed. He had provided himself with an iron crow and a pick-axe: but this precaution was unnecessary.

Etymology

From Middle English crowe, from Old English crāwe, from Proto-West Germanic *krāā, from Proto-Germanic *krēǭ (compare West Frisian krie, Dutch kraai, German Krähe), from *krēaną (“to crow”). See below.

This word in other languages

corneja(Español)corneille(Français)Krähe(Deutsch)corvo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ccrow
  • corw
  • croww
  • crrow
  • crwo
  • rcow

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ccrow1corw2croww1crrow1crwo2rcow2
Edit distance from "crow"

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 "crow"?
"crow" is spelled C-R-O-W. The IPA pronunciation is /kɹəʊ/.
What does "crow" mean?
As a noun, "crow" means: A bird, usually black, of the genus Corvus, having a strong conical beak, with projecting bristles; it has a harsh, croaking call.
What words are commonly confused with "crow"?
"crow" is commonly confused with "CW", "cry", "CRT". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "crow"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "crow" is /kɹəʊ/. 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 "crow"?
From Middle English crowe, from Old English crāwe, from Proto-West Germanic *krāā, from Proto-Germanic *krēǭ (compare West Frisian krie, Dutch kraai, German Krähe), from *krēaną (“to crow”). See below. 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 "crow", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

cans#9,578font#9,611glue#9,613Lyon#9,625

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).

fatty6 variantsMaggie6 variantsounce6 variantsshah6 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list