crique

\kʁik\

/\kʁik\/ noun

The verdict

“crique” is a moderately-common French word, ranked #32,361 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#32,361
frequency rank, French
6
letters
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Petite baie, partie du rivage qui forme dans les terres un enfoncement où de petits bateaux peuvent se mettre à l’abri.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

crique vs crue
67% similar
crique vs crise
67% similar
crique vs croque
83% similar

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

Key facts for crique
PropertyValue
Headwordcrique
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\kʁik\
Letters6
Frequency rank#32,361
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “crique” sits in French frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The French entry for crique is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \kʁik\. Corpus data places it at rank #32,361 in overall French word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 6 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for crique, with forms such as "ccrique", "criqeu", and "criqque". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "crue", "crise", "croque", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, so spelling patterns must be inferred from the word's phoneme-to-grapheme mapping rather than from a documented borrowing chain. The correct French form is crique, spelled C-R-I-Q-U-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Petite baie, partie du rivage qui forme dans les terres un enfoncement où de petits bateaux peuvent se mettre à l’abri.
  2. 2
    Fissure dans une pièce métallique ― interne (invisible) ou apparente (alors dite débouchante) ― souvent causée par un défaut de fabrication et à une variation de température.
  3. 3
    Petite rivière qui parcourt forêts et savanes et se jette dans un fleuve.
  4. 4
    Recette traditionnelle, de l'Ardèche et de la Drôme, de galette de pommes de terre revenues à la poêle.
  5. 5
    Fossé creusé autour des places fortes dans le but d’empêcher l'ennemi d'y faire des tranchées.
  6. 6
    Dent

Synonyms

calanquecrique saisonnièrerâpée

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ccrique,criqeu,criqque,criuqe,crqiue,crrique,rcique

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of crique - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

ccrique1criqeu2criqque1criuqe2crqiue2crrique1rcique2
Edit distance from "crique"

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 French corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "crique"?
"crique" is spelled C-R-I-Q-U-E. The IPA pronunciation is \kʁik\.
What does "crique" mean?
As a noun, "crique" means: Petite baie, partie du rivage qui forme dans les terres un enfoncement où de petits bateaux peuvent se mettre à l’abri.
What words are commonly confused with "crique"?
"crique" is commonly confused with "crue", "crise", "croque". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "crique"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "crique" is \kʁik\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "crique" come from?
"crique" is a French word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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.

Using “crique”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct French spelling is C-R-I-Q-U-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \kʁik\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “crue” - see the side-by-side comparison. crique vs crue
  • Browse more French words and confusable pairs in the same reference. French words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list