crud
/kɹʌd/noun, verb, interjection
crud is spelled C-R-U-D: 4 letters and one syllable. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 45,363rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, crud means “Dirt, filth or refuse” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of crud is cruds.
How many letters and syllables are in crud?
| Letters | 4: C-R-U-D |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 45,363rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is crud?
Crud appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 45,363rd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce crud?
- /kɹʌd/
Crud has one syllable (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-au-crud.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with crud?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as crud.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: curd.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of crud
- cruds plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- crudding participle, present
- crudded participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does crud mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Dirt, filth or refuse.
- 2
Something of poor quality.
- 3
A contemptible person.
- 4
Mixed impurities, especially wear and corrosion products in nuclear reactor coolant.
- 5
A heavy wet snow on which it is difficult to travel.
- 6
Feces; excrement.
- 7
USslangVenereal disease, or (by extension) any disease.
- 8
A fast-paced game, loosely based on billiards or pool, with many players participating at the same time.
verb
- 1
To clog with dirt or debris.
interjection
- 1
Non-vulgar interjection expressing annoyance, anxiety, etc.; sugar, darn.
Oh, crud! I'm gonna be late for work!
noun
- 1
Acronym of create, read, update, delete, the basic operations of a database management system.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Crud in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| Spanish | basura, desperdicio , caca, mierda |
| German | Scheiße, Mist , Sulzschnee |
| French | merde |
| Portuguese | esterco |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does crud come from?
From Middle English crud, crudde (“coagulated milk; curd; any coagulated or thickened substance; dregs”), from Old English crūdan (“to press”). Doublet of curd.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).