crud

/kɹʌd/

//kɹʌd// noun

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

"crud" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“crud” has 5 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #45,306. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#45,306
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Dirt, filth or refuse.

Corpus desk

Index EN-crud · crud · English

crud · rank #45,306 · 5 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #45,306
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 5 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH curation

Nearest frequency peer: curation (+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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “crud”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “crud” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

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).

crud vs CU
0% similar
crud vs cut
50% similar
crud vs cup
50% similar

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

Key facts for crud
PropertyValue
Headwordcrud
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/kɹʌd/
Letters4
Frequency rank#45,306
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “crud” sits in English frequency

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).crudlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “curation” (#45,307), “crosswalk” (#45,304), “Curley” (#45,308). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 5 spelling variants around crud (IPA /kɹʌd/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #45,306 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 9 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for crud, with forms such as "ccrud", "crdu", and "crrud". 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, "CU", "cut", "cup", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English crud, crudde (“coagulated milk; curd; any coagulated or thickened substance; dregs”), from Old English crūdan (“to press”). Doublet of curd. The correct English form is crud, spelled C-R-U-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    Dirt, filth or refuse.
  2. 2
    Something of poor quality.
  3. 3
    A contemptible person.
  4. 4
    Mixed impurities, especially wear and corrosion products in nuclear reactor coolant.
  5. 5
    A heavy wet snow on which it is difficult to travel.
  6. 6
    Feces; excrement.
  7. 7
    Venereal disease, or (by extension) any disease.
  8. 8
    A fast-paced game, loosely based on billiards or pool, with many players participating at the same time.
  9. 9
    Cottage cheese.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Crud is caked in the crevices of her jewellery. All of it needs cleaning.

Etymology

From Middle English crud, crudde (“coagulated milk; curd; any coagulated or thickened substance; dregs”), from Old English crūdan (“to press”). Doublet of curd.

This word in other languages

basura(Español)merde(Français)Scheiße(Deutsch)esterco(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ccrud
  • crdu
  • crrud
  • crudd
  • rcud

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ccrud1crdu2crrud1crudd1rcud2
Edit distance from "crud"

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 "crud"?
"crud" is spelled C-R-U-D. The IPA pronunciation is /kɹʌd/.
What does "crud" mean?
As a noun, "crud" means: Dirt, filth or refuse.
What words are commonly confused with "crud"?
"crud" is commonly confused with "CU", "cut", "cup". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "crud"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "crud" is /kɹʌd/. 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 "crud"?
From Middle English crud, crudde (“coagulated milk; curd; any coagulated or thickened substance; dregs”), from Old English crūdan (“to press”). Doublet of curd. 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 "crud", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

digi#45,327doon#45,338boho#45,239fume#45,384

Similar misspelling depth

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

Beebe5 variantsassuage5 variantsaffix5 variantsaddon5 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "crud". Here's where to go from here.

  • "crud" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "CU". View pair
  • 5 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #45,306 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "C" letter cohort. C–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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