crown

/kɹaʊn/

//kɹaʊn// noun

"crown" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“crown” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #2,665 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#2,665
frequency rank, English
5
letters
8
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A royal, imperial or princely headdress; a diadem.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

crown vs crows
80% similar
crown vs crowns
83% similar
crown vs crowned
71% similar

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

Key facts for crown
PropertyValue
Headwordcrown
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/kɹaʊn/
Letters5
Frequency rank#2,665
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “crown” 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). crown 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 crown is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /kɹaʊn/. Corpus data places it at rank #2,665 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 37 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for crown, with forms such as "ccrown", "corwn", and "cronw". 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, "crows", "crowns", "crowned", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English coroune, from Anglo-Norman corone, from Latin corōna (“crown, wreath”), from Ancient Greek κορώνη (korṓnē). Doublet of corona, korona, koruna, krona, króna, and krone. Displaced native Old English corenbēag (“crown”); and Middle English … The correct English form is crown, spelled C-R-O-W-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    A royal, imperial or princely headdress; a diadem.
  2. 2
    A wreath or band for the head, especially one given as reward of victory or a mark of honor.
  3. 3
    Any reward of victory or mark of honor.
  4. 4
    Imperial or regal power, or those who wield it.
  5. 5
    The sovereign (in a monarchy), as head of state.
  6. 6
    The state, the government (headed by a monarch).
  7. 7
    The police (referring to Crown Victoria police cars).
  8. 8
    The top part of something:
  9. 9
    The top part of something:
  10. 10
    The top part of something:
  11. 11
    The top part of something:
  12. 12
    The top part of something:
  13. 13
    The top part of something:
  14. 14
    The top part of something:
  15. 15
    The top part of something:
  16. 16
    The top part of something:
  17. 17
    The top part of something:
  18. 18
    The top part of something:
  19. 19
    A kind of spire or lantern formed by converging flying buttresses.
  20. 20
    Splendor; culmination; acme.
  21. 21
    Any currency (originally) issued by the crown (regal power) and often bearing a crown (headdress); (translation) various currencies known by similar names in their native languages, such as the korona, koruna, krona, króna, krone.
  22. 22
    A former predecimalization British coin worth five shillings.
  23. 23
    A coin or note worth five shillings in various countries that are or were in the British Commonwealth, such as Ireland or Jamaica.
  24. 24
    The part of a plant where the root and stem meet.
  25. 25
    The part of a tooth above the gums.
  26. 26
    A prosthetic covering for a tooth.
  27. 27
    A knot formed in the end of a rope by tucking in the strands to prevent them from unravelling.
  28. 28
    The part of an anchor where the arms and the shank meet.
  29. 29
    The rounding, or rounded part, of the deck from a level line.
  30. 30
    A standard size of printing paper measuring 20 × 15 inches.
  31. 31
    A standard size of writing paper measuring 19 × 15 inches.
  32. 32
    A monocyclic ligand having three or more binding sites, capable of holding a guest in a central location.
  33. 33
    A rounding or smoothing of the barrel opening.
  34. 34
    The area enclosed between two concentric perimeters.
  35. 35
    A whole bird with the legs and wings removed to produce a joint of white meat.
  36. 36
    A formal hat worn by women to Sunday church services; a church crown.
  37. 37
    The knurled knob or dial, on the outside of a watch case, used to wind it or adjust the hands.

Etymology

From Middle English coroune, from Anglo-Norman corone, from Latin corōna (“crown, wreath”), from Ancient Greek κορώνη (korṓnē). Doublet of corona, korona, koruna, krona, króna, and krone. Displaced native Old English corenbēag (“crown”); and Middle English kinehelm, kynehelm, from Old English cynehelm (“crown”). * (paper size): So called because originally watermarked with a crown.

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ccrown,corwn,cronw,crownn,crowwn,crrown,crwon,rcown

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of crown - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

ccrown1corwn2cronw2crownn1crowwn1crrown1crwon2rcown2
Edit distance from "crown"

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 "crown"?
"crown" is spelled C-R-O-W-N. The IPA pronunciation is /kɹaʊn/.
What does "crown" mean?
As a noun, "crown" means: A royal, imperial or princely headdress; a diadem.
What words are commonly confused with "crown"?
"crown" is commonly confused with "crows", "crowns", "crowned". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "crown"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "crown" is /kɹaʊn/. 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 "crown"?
From Middle English coroune, from Anglo-Norman corone, from Latin corōna (“crown, wreath”), from Ancient Greek κορώνη (korṓnē). Doublet of corona, korona, koruna, krona, króna, and krone. Displaced native Old English corenbēag (“crown”); and Middl... 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 “crown”

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

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