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” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #9,590 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#9,590
frequency rank, English
4
letters
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A bird, usually black, of the genus Corvus, having a strong conical beak, with projecting bristles; it has a harsh, croaking call.

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)

Where “crow” 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). crow lands here:

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

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for crow is 4 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /kɹəʊ/. Corpus data places it at rank #9,590 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 9 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

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.

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.

Using “crow”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is C-R-O-W - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /kɹəʊ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “CW” - see the side-by-side comparison. crow vs CW
  • 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list