Word Confusion: Creak versus Creek

Posted December 6, 2012 by Kathy Davie in Author Resources, Self-Editing, Word Confusions, Writing

How difficult is it to understand the difference between creak and creek?

Creak makes scary noises (think of that last scary movie you saw!) while creek soothes with its rippling waters — there just ain’t a creak in that creek! . . . only in that poor staircase *grin*

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Exploring Later . . .

Other water-related posts include “Bay vs Bight vs Cove“, “Cay vs Key vs Quay“, “Dock vs Pier vs Wharf“, “Harbor vs Marina vs Port vs Quay“, “Peer versus Pier“, “Slew versus Slough“, and “Straight versus Strait”

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Word Confusions . . .

. . . started as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with properly spelled words that were out of context in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us words that have been a bête noire for you from either end.

If you found this post on “Creak vs Creek” interesting, consider subscribing to KD Did It, if you’d like to track this post for future updates.

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Creak	Creek
Wooden Rocking Chair by Harry Walker is in the public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. — Those wooden rockers can creak up a storm.	Pictured Rocks, Michigan, is in the public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. — A peaceful little creek.
Part of Grammar:
Noun; Verb, intransitive & transitive Plural for the noun: creaks Gerund: creaking Third person present verb: creaks Past tense or past participle: creaked Present participle: creaking	Adjective ¹; Noun ¹, ² Plural for the noun: creeks Creeks, Creek collective noun Alternate spellings: crick (dialectal US) crik (eye dialect)
Noun: Harsh scraping or squeaking sound Verb, intransitive: Typically a wooden object that makes a harsh, high-pitched sound when being moved or when pressure or weight is applied [Figurative] Show weakness or frailty under strain Verb, transitive: To cause to creak	Adjective: Of, relating to, or denoting a group of native peoples of the southeastern U.S. in the 16th to 19th centuries ¹ Noun: A member of this same group ¹ [a.k.a. Muskogee] Stream, brook, or minor tributary of a river ²
Examples:
Noun: The creak of a floorboard broke the silence. I wish Jerry would oil that door. The creak is driving me mad. I missed the sound of Grandma’s rocker creaking. From inside came the creak and moan of a swinging door. Verb, intransitive: The floorboard creaked, breaking the silence. The old car creaked along. Those stairs creaked all night. Verb, transitive: The seat creaked as George settled his bulk in it. “If you’re not sharp enough, I’ll creak the door, and woe betide you if I have to creak it much” (Dickens, chapt 6). “Now the capital has eight million inhabitants and the sewers are creaking at the seams” (Sun).	Adjective: He’s a Creek Indian. Noun: He’s Creek. Let’s go on down to the creek A creek runs through the property. The tidal creeks were teeming with shore wildlife. That boy is up the creek without a paddle.
Derivatives:
Adjective: creaky Adverb: creakily, creakingly Noun: creakiness	Noun: subcreek
History of the Word:
Middle English in the sense of croak, imitative.	16th century. A Native American tribe named for the waterways of the flatlands of Georgia and Alabama that they lived beside. Middle English from the Old French crique or from the Old Norse kriki meaning nook; perhaps reinforced by the Middle Dutch krēke. In the end, though, it’s of unknown ultimate origin.

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C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan . . . which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them . . . and we’ll all benefit!

Satisfy your curiosity about other Word Confusions on its homepage or more generally explore the index of self-editing posts. You may also want to explore Book Layout & Formatting Ideas, Formatting Tips, Grammar Explanations, Linguistics, Publishing Tips, the Properly Punctuated, Writing Ideas and Resources, and Working Your Website.

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