crucible

/ˈkɹuː.sɪ.bəl/

//ˈkɹuː.sɪ.bəl// noun

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

"crucible" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“crucible” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #21,481. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#21,481
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
13
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A cup-shaped piece of laboratory equipment used to contain chemical compounds when heating them to very high temperatures.

Corpus desk

Index EN-crucible · crucible · English

crucible · rank #21,481 · 13 variants · 4 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #21,481
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 4 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 13 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH cryptic

Nearest frequency peer: cryptic (+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 “crucible”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “crucible” 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).

crucible vs crumble
75% similar
crucible vs crucial
75% similar
crucible vs credible
75% similar

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

Key facts for crucible
PropertyValue
Headwordcrucible
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkɹuː.sɪ.bəl/
Letters8
Frequency rank#21,481
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “crucible”

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).cruciblelands 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 “cryptic” (#21,482), “countrymen” (#21,479), “corny” (#21,478). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “crucible” is #21,481. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around crucible (IPA /ˈkɹuː.sɪ.bəl/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #21,481 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for crucible, with forms such as "ccrucible", "crcuible", and "crrucible". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 4 confusable-pair relationships, "crumble", "crucial", "credible", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin crucibulum (“night-lamp, metallurgic melting-pot”), apparently a derivative of crux (“cross”), perhaps by analogy to thūribulum (“censer”) and suffix -bulum, or from crucio (“to torment”). The correct English form is crucible, spelled C-R-U-C-I-B-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A cup-shaped piece of laboratory equipment used to contain chemical compounds when heating them to very high temperatures.
  2. 2
    A heat-resistant container in which metals are melted, usually at temperatures above 500°C, commonly made of graphite with clay as a binder.
  3. 3
    The bottom and hottest part of a blast furnace; the hearth.
  4. 4
    A very difficult and trying experience, that acts as a refining or hardening process.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. In one corner of the closet was a very small furnace, with a glowing fire in it, and on the fire a kind of duplicate crucible—two crucibles connected by a tube. One of these crucibles was nearly full of lead in a state of fusion, but not reaching up to the aperture of the tube, which was close to the brim.
  2. But, in considering an author and his works as one, a sufficient distinction is not drawn between the ideal and the real: the last is only given by being past through the crucible of the first.

Etymology

From Latin crucibulum (“night-lamp, metallurgic melting-pot”), apparently a derivative of crux (“cross”), perhaps by analogy to thūribulum (“censer”) and suffix -bulum, or from crucio (“to torment”).

This word in other languages

crisol(Español)creuset(Français)Tiegel(Deutsch)cadinho(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ccrucible
  • crcuible
  • crrucible
  • crucable
  • crucbile
  • cruccible
  • crucibble
  • crucibel
  • cruciblle
  • crucilbe
  • cruicble
  • curcible
  • rcucible

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ccrucible1crcuible2crrucible1crucable1crucbile2cruccible1crucibble1crucibel2
Edit distance from "crucible"

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 "crucible"?
"crucible" is spelled C-R-U-C-I-B-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkɹuː.sɪ.bəl/.
What does "crucible" mean?
As a noun, "crucible" means: A cup-shaped piece of laboratory equipment used to contain chemical compounds when heating them to very high temperatures.
What words are commonly confused with "crucible"?
"crucible" is commonly confused with "crumble", "crucial", "credible". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "crucible"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "crucible" is /ˈkɹuː.sɪ.bəl/. 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 "crucible"?
From Latin crucibulum (“night-lamp, metallurgic melting-pot”), apparently a derivative of crux (“cross”), perhaps by analogy to thūribulum (“censer”) and suffix -bulum, or from crucio (“to torment”). 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 "crucible", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Copeland#21,477converge#21,476deletion#21,489diligent#21,490

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (13 here; floor ≥5).

drenched13 variantsformulate13 variantsglorified13 variantshawthorn13 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list