à cru

\a kʁy\

/\a kʁy\/ adv

The verdict

“à cru” is uncommon French (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adverb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency French
5
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Sans selle, quand on monte un cheval.

Corpus desk

Index FR-a-cru · à cru · French

à cru · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "À" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for à cru
PropertyValue
Headwordà cru
LanguageFrench
Part of speechAdverb
IPA\a kʁy\
Letters5
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Longue queue: rang de « à cru » en français

à crun'entre pas dans le top 100.000 du français: zone de termes techniques, archaïques ou rares.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

à cru is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anadverb, transcribed \a kʁy\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for à cru, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct French form is à cru, spelled À- -C-R-U.

Definition

  1. 1
    Sans selle, quand on monte un cheval.
  2. 2
    Directement sur le sol, en parlant d’une construction.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Il a monté à cru, comme eux, s’accrochant aux crins de la bête, lui prodiguant les encouragements et les coups de pied inefficaces de ses talons nus.
  2. D’une démarche gracieuse et étrangement rapide pour quelqu’un de son âge, l’Indien avait déjà parcouru la distance qui le séparait des autres guerriers. Il sauta d’un bond sur le petit cheval qu’il montait à cru. Ses deux jambes retombaient de chaque côté de sa monture, touchant presque terre. Il émit un cri, comme le glapissement d’un renard, et ses comp…

Synonyms

This word in other languages

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "à cru"?
"à cru" is spelled À- -C-R-U. The IPA pronunciation is \a kʁy\.
What does "à cru" mean?
As an adverb, "à cru" means: Sans selle, quand on monte un cheval.
How do you pronounce "à cru"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "à cru" is \a kʁy\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "à cru" come from?
"à cru" is a French word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list