# Kraken

> English word · Proper noun · IPA /ˈkɹæ.kən/ · frequency rank #34,952

## Definitions
1. A colossal sea monster that attacks ships and sailors, often portrayed as a giant octopus or squid.

## Etymology
Borrowed from Norwegian kraken (Bokmål entry; Nynorsk entry), definite singular of krake (“crooked dead tree, wooden drag/grapnel”) (Bokmål entry; Nynorsk entry), both from Old Norse kraki (“crooked dead tree, wooden drag/grapnel”, literally “crookie: something with crooks/hooks”), from Proto-Germanic *krankaz (“crooked”).

## Easily confused with
- **Kramer** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/kraken-vs-kramer)
- **Krakow** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/kraken-vs-krakow)
- **Karen** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/karen-vs-kraken)

## Common misspellings (9)
`karken`, `kkraken`, `kraekn`, `krakenn`, `krakken`, `krakne`, `krkaen`, `krraken`, `rkaken`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/kraken