crowbar

/ˈkɹoʊˌbɑɹ/

//ˈkɹoʊˌbɑɹ// noun

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

"crowbar" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“crowbar” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #40,638. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#40,638
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An iron or steel bar, often with a flattened end which may also be hook-shaped, to be used as a lever to manually force things apart.

Corpus desk

Index EN-crowbar · crowbar · English

crowbar · rank #40,638 · 11 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #40,638
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH creeped

Nearest frequency peer: creeped (-2 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 “crowbar”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “crowbar” 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).

crowbar vs crowder
71% similar
crowbar vs crossbar
75% similar

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

Key facts for crowbar
PropertyValue
Headwordcrowbar
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkɹoʊˌbɑɹ/
Letters7
Frequency rank#40,638
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “crowbar”

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).crowbarlands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “creeped” (#40,636), “crudely” (#40,640), “creamed” (#40,635). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “crowbar” is #40,638. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around crowbar (IPA /ˈkɹoʊˌbɑɹ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #40,638 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for crowbar, with forms such as "ccrowbar", "corwbar", and "crobwar". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "crowder", "crossbar", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From crow (“crow (bird)" also "metal lever, crowbar”) + bar, probably because the forked end looks like a crow's foot. The correct English form is crowbar, spelled C-R-O-W-B-A-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    An iron or steel bar, often with a flattened end which may also be hook-shaped, to be used as a lever to manually force things apart.
  2. 2
    An electrical circuit that prevents an overvoltage from causing damage.
  3. 3
    A type of cocktail made with only Crown Royal whiskey and lemon lime soda.

Etymology

From crow (“crow (bird)" also "metal lever, crowbar”) + bar, probably because the forked end looks like a crow's foot.

This word in other languages

palanqueta(Español)pied-de-biche(Français)Brechstange(Deutsch)pé de cabra(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ccrowbar
  • corwbar
  • crobwar
  • crowabr
  • crowbarr
  • crowbbar
  • crowbra
  • crowwbar
  • crrowbar
  • crwobar
  • rcowbar

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of crowbar - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

ccrowbar1corwbar2crobwar2crowabr2crowbarr1crowbbar1crowbra2crowwbar1
Edit distance from "crowbar"

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 "crowbar"?
"crowbar" is spelled C-R-O-W-B-A-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkɹoʊˌbɑɹ/.
What does "crowbar" mean?
As a noun, "crowbar" means: An iron or steel bar, often with a flattened end which may also be hook-shaped, to be used as a lever to manually force things apart.
What words are commonly confused with "crowbar"?
"crowbar" is commonly confused with "crowder", "crossbar". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "crowbar"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "crowbar" is /ˈkɹoʊˌbɑɹ/. 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 "crowbar"?
From crow (“crow (bird)" also "metal lever, crowbar”) + bar, probably because the forked end looks like a crow's foot. 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 "crowbar", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

creeped#40,636crudely#40,640creamed#40,635dishing#40,657

Similar misspelling depth

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

chalked11 variantsCaltech11 variantsbuyback11 variantsEritrean11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list