crying

/ˈkɹaɪ̯.ɪŋ/

//ˈkɹaɪ̯.ɪŋ// adj

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

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

The verdict

“crying” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #2,666. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#2,666
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - That cries.

Corpus desk

Index EN-crying · crying · English

crying · rank #2,666 · 10 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #2,666
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH crown

Nearest frequency peer: crown (-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 “crying”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “crying” 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).

crying vs curing
67% similar
crying vs curling
71% similar
crying vs cursing
71% similar

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

Key facts for crying
PropertyValue
Headwordcrying
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈkɹaɪ̯.ɪŋ/
Letters6
Frequency rank#2,666
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “crying”

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).cryinglands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “crown” (#2,665), “DC” (#2,667), “creation” (#2,664). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “crying” is #2,666. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around crying (IPA /ˈkɹaɪ̯.ɪŋ/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #2,666 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for crying, with forms such as "ccrying", "criyng", and "crrying". 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, "curing", "curling", "cursing", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From cry + -ing. The correct English form is crying, spelled C-R-Y-I-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    That cries.
  2. 2
    That demands action or attention; desperate.
  3. 3
    That deserves rebuke or censure; deplorable.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The crying child on the street was evidently lost.
  2. There is a crying need for more manual workers in this country.

Etymology

From cry + -ing.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ccrying
  • criyng
  • crrying
  • cryign
  • cryingg
  • cryinng
  • crynig
  • cryying
  • cyring
  • rcying

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ccrying1criyng2crrying1cryign2cryingg1cryinng1crynig2cryying1
Edit distance from "crying"

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 "crying"?
"crying" is spelled C-R-Y-I-N-G. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkɹaɪ̯.ɪŋ/.
What does "crying" mean?
As an adjective, "crying" means: That cries.
What words are commonly confused with "crying"?
"crying" is commonly confused with "curing", "curling", "cursing". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "crying"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "crying" is /ˈkɹaɪ̯.ɪŋ/. 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 "crying"?
From cry + -ing. 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 "crying", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

combat#2,660button#2,658assets#2,656excuse#2,676

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

defined10 variantsstorage10 variantspremier10 variantspromote10 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list