Which to use
“cru” is an adjective and “cry” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #14,555
- “cru” frequency rank
- #12,412
- “cry” frequency rank
- 26967
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | cru | cry |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | que não foi cozido ou não foi cozido o suficiente | choro |
Where the eye mixes cru and cry
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: cru vs cry
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: cru is /ˈkɾu/ while cry is /kɹaɪ̯/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - u in “cru” becomes y in “cry”, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 26967, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
cru is recorded at frequency rank #14,555, classified as anadj, pronounced /ˈkɾu/. cry is at rank #12,412, tagged as anoun, pronounced /kɹaɪ̯/.
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 26967, this pair ranks #42,077 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of cru vs cry
Shared letters: cr. Private to "cru": u. Private to "cry": y.
"cru" · 3 letters · shape CCV · "cry" · 3 letters · shape CCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "cru" and "cry" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "cru" or "cry"?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "cru" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "cry" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #42,077 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "cru" and "cry" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "chau vs cru". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #42,077 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.