cruise

/kɹuːz/

//kɹuːz// noun

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

"cruise" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“cruise” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #4,933 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#4,933
frequency rank, English
6
letters
8
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A sea or lake voyage, especially one taken for pleasure.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

cruise vs crush
67% similar
cruise vs curse
67% similar
cruise vs crust
67% similar

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

Key facts for cruise
PropertyValue
Headwordcruise
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/kɹuːz/
Letters6
Frequency rank#4,933
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “cruise” 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). cruise 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 cruise is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /kɹuːz/. Corpus data places it at rank #4,933 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 5 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 cruise, with forms such as "ccruise", "criuse", and "crruise". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "crush", "curse", "crust", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Dutch kruisen (“cross, sail around”), from kruis (“cross”), from Middle Dutch cruce, from Latin crux. The correct English form is cruise, spelled C-R-U-I-S-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A sea or lake voyage, especially one taken for pleasure.
  2. 2
    Portion of aircraft travel at a constant airspeed and altitude between ascent and descent phases.
  3. 3
    A period spent in the Marine Corps.
  4. 4
    A car enthusiasts' event where they drive their vehicles in a group.
  5. 5
    A period of reducing the dosage of PEDs instead of cycling them off as opposed to a full-dosed cycle (blast).

Etymology

Borrowed from Dutch kruisen (“cross, sail around”), from kruis (“cross”), from Middle Dutch cruce, from Latin crux.

This word in other languages

crucero(Español)croisière(Français)Kreuzfahrt(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ccruise,criuse,crruise,cruies,cruisse,crusie,curise,rcuise

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of cruise - 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.

ccruise1criuse2crruise1cruies2cruisse1crusie2curise2rcuise2
Edit distance from "cruise"

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 "cruise"?
"cruise" is spelled C-R-U-I-S-E. The IPA pronunciation is /kɹuːz/.
What does "cruise" mean?
As a noun, "cruise" means: A sea or lake voyage, especially one taken for pleasure.
What words are commonly confused with "cruise"?
"cruise" is commonly confused with "crush", "curse", "crust". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "cruise"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "cruise" is /kɹuːz/. 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 "cruise"?
Borrowed from Dutch kruisen (“cross, sail around”), from kruis (“cross”), from Middle Dutch cruce, from Latin crux. 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 “cruise”

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

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