cruse

/kɹuːs/

//kɹuːs// noun

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

"cruse" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“cruse” is uncommon English (frequency #76,682 among 5,599 “C” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#76,682
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A small jar used to hold liquid, such as oil or water.

Corpus desk

Index EN-cruse · cruse · English

cruse · rank #76,682 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #76,682
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH cruciform

Nearest frequency peer: cruciform (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “cruse”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “cruse” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for cruse
PropertyValue
Headwordcruse
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/kɹuːs/
Letters5
Frequency rank#76,682
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “cruse” in English

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).crusefalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “cruciform” (#76,681), “crutcher” (#76,683), “Cronus” (#76,680). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “cruse” is #76,682. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

cruse is uncommon English at frequency #76,682 among 5,599 “C” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /kɹuːs/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for cruse in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English crouse, from Old English crūse (“jar, cruse”), from Proto-West Germanic *krūsā, from Proto-Germanic *krūsǭ, *krūsaz (“jar, pot, collar, jug”). Cognate with German Krause (“pot with a lid”), Icelandic krús (“jar, jug”). Merged with Middle… The correct English form is cruse, spelled C-R-U-S-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A small jar used to hold liquid, such as oil or water.
  2. 2
    An oil lamp; a crusy.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. With a thought I tooke for Maudline & a cruse of cockle pottage. with a thing thus tall, skie blesse you all: I befell into this dotage.
  2. He had dipped ungenerously into a generous mother’s purse; basely and recklessly spilt her little cruse.

Etymology

From Middle English crouse, from Old English crūse (“jar, cruse”), from Proto-West Germanic *krūsā, from Proto-Germanic *krūsǭ, *krūsaz (“jar, pot, collar, jug”). Cognate with German Krause (“pot with a lid”), Icelandic krús (“jar, jug”). Merged with Middle English croo (“pot, pitcher”), from Old English crōg (“crock, pitcher, vessel”). More at crock.

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 "cruse"?
"cruse" is spelled C-R-U-S-E. The IPA pronunciation is /kɹuːs/.
What does "cruse" mean?
As a noun, "cruse" means: A small jar used to hold liquid, such as oil or water.
How do you pronounce "cruse"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "cruse" is /kɹuːs/. 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 "cruse"?
From Middle English crouse, from Old English crūse (“jar, cruse”), from Proto-West Germanic *krūsā, from Proto-Germanic *krūsǭ, *krūsaz (“jar, pot, collar, jug”). Cognate with German Krause (“pot with a lid”), Icelandic krús (“jar, jug”). Merged w... 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 "cruse", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

devan#76,706chide#76,635Dupre#76,738caned#76,616

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list