crumble

/ˈkɹʌmbəl/

//ˈkɹʌmbəl// verb

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

"crumble" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“crumble” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #19,802. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#19,802
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To fall apart; to disintegrate.

Corpus desk

Index EN-crumble · crumble · English

crumble · rank #19,802 · 11 variants · 4 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #19,802
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 4 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH coworker

Nearest frequency peer: coworker (-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 “crumble”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “crumble” 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).

crumble vs crumbs
71% similar
crumble vs crumpled
75% similar
crumble vs crumb
71% similar

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

Key facts for crumble
PropertyValue
Headwordcrumble
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈkɹʌmbəl/
Letters7
Frequency rank#19,802
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “crumble”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).crumblelands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “coworker” (#19,801), “crumbling” (#19,803), “Costello” (#19,800). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “crumble” is #19,802. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around crumble (IPA /ˈkɹʌmbəl/), averb. Corpus frequency is #19,802 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for crumble, with forms such as "ccrumble", "crmuble", and "crrumble". 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, "crumbs", "crumpled", "crumb", 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 earlier crymble, crimble, from Middle English *crymblen, kremelen, from Old English *crymlan (“to crumble”), from *crymel (“a small crumb; crumble”), diminutive of Old English cruma (“crumb”), equivalent to crumb + -le (diminutive suffix). Compare Dutc… The correct English form is crumble, spelled C-R-U-M-B-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To fall apart; to disintegrate.
  2. 2
    To break into crumbs.
  3. 3
    To mix (ingredients such as flour and butter) in such a way as to form crumbs.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The bread roll crumbled when I tried to slice it; it was too stale.
  2. The empire crumbled when the ruler's indiscretions came to light.

Etymology

From earlier crymble, crimble, from Middle English *crymblen, kremelen, from Old English *crymlan (“to crumble”), from *crymel (“a small crumb; crumble”), diminutive of Old English cruma (“crumb”), equivalent to crumb + -le (diminutive suffix). Compare Dutch kruimelen (“to crumble”), German Low German krömmeln (“to crumble”), German Krümel, diminutive of German Krume, German krümeln, krümmeln (“to crumble”). Alteration of vowel due to analogy with crumb.

This word in other languages

desmigajarse(Español)s'effondrer(Français)bröckeln(Deutsch)despedaçar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ccrumble
  • crmuble
  • crrumble
  • crubmle
  • crumbble
  • crumbel
  • crumblle
  • crumlbe
  • crummble
  • curmble
  • rcumble

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ccrumble1crmuble2crrumble1crubmle2crumbble1crumbel2crumblle1crumlbe2
Edit distance from "crumble"

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 "crumble"?
"crumble" is spelled C-R-U-M-B-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkɹʌmbəl/.
What does "crumble" mean?
As a verb, "crumble" means: To fall apart; to disintegrate.
What words are commonly confused with "crumble"?
"crumble" is commonly confused with "crumbs", "crumpled", "crumb". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "crumble"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "crumble" is /ˈkɹʌmbəl/. 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 "crumble"?
From earlier crymble, crimble, from Middle English *crymblen, kremelen, from Old English *crymlan (“to crumble”), from *crymel (“a small crumb; crumble”), diminutive of Old English cruma (“crumb”), equivalent to crumb + -le (diminutive suffix). Co... 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 "crumble", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

collide#19,791clipped#19,790cholera#19,787Cheddar#19,785

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

Eastwood11 variantsbumping11 variantsbreaths11 variantsbitterly11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list