Which to use
“cruel” is an adjective and “crush” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #5,617
- “cruel” frequency rank
- #24,279
- “crush” frequency rank
- 29896
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | cruel | crush |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | que tem prazer em fazer mal | interesse em alguém, atração física por outra pessoa, possível ou platônica |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set cruel and crush apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: cruel is anadjective and crushanoun. On the page they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 29896, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
cruel is recorded at frequency rank #5,617, classified as anadj, pronounced /kɾu.ˈɛɫ/. crush is at rank #24,279, tagged as anoun.
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 29896, this pair ranks #38,637 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of cruel vs crush
Shared letters: cru. Private to "cruel": el. Private to "crush": hs.
"cruel" · 5 letters · shape CCVVC · "crush" · 5 letters · shape CCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "cruel" and "crush" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "cruel" or "crush"?
Remembering cruel vs crush
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “cruel”; for a noun, it's “crush”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “cruel” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable