Creap vs. Creep — Which is Correct Spelling?
By Tayyaba Rehman — Updated on March 20, 2024
"Creap" is an incorrect spelling, while "Creep" is the correct form referring to moving slowly and stealthily.
Table of Contents
Which is correct: Creap or Creep
How to spell Creep?
Creap
Incorrect Spelling
Creep
Correct Spelling
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Key Differences
Remember "double e" for "sneak" as in "creep".
"Creep" rhymes with "sleep", both have "ee".
Associate "creep" with "steep", both contain "ee".
Picture a "creeper" plant growing slowly, taking its time.
Think of "creepy", which is derived from "creep" and has "ee".
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How Do You Spell Creep Correctly?
Incorrect: She felt a creap crawling up her arm in the dark.
Correct: She felt a creep crawling up her arm in the dark.
Incorrect: The movie was full of suspense and creap moments.
Correct: The movie was full of suspense and creep moments.
Incorrect: He tried to act cool but came off as a creap.
Correct: He tried to act cool but came off as a creep.
Incorrect: Don't be such a creap around strangers.
Correct: Don't be such a creep around strangers.
Creep Definitions
"Creep" can refer to the slow deformation of materials under persistent force.
Metals can creep under high temperatures.
"Creep" means to move slowly and carefully, typically to avoid detection.
The cat began to creep towards its prey.
Move slowly and carefully in order to avoid being heard or noticed
He crept downstairs, hardly making any noise
They were taught how to creep up on an enemy
"Creep" can denote a peculiar, unsettling feeling.
There's a creep factor to old haunted houses.
"Creep" also indicates the slow forward movement of a vehicle.
The traffic could only creep due to the heavy downpour.
(of a negative characteristic or fact) occur or develop gradually and almost imperceptibly
Errors crept into his game
A detestable person
I thought he was a nasty little creep
Slow steady movement, especially when imperceptible
An attempt to prevent this slow creep of costs
An opening in a hedge or wall for an animal to pass through
Low in the wall are creeps, through which ewes gain access to grazing from the pastures behind
Solid food given to young farm animals in order to wean them
We've started to wean the lambs earlier and to keep them on creep
To move with the body close to the ground, as on hands and knees.
To move stealthily or cautiously.
To move or proceed very slowly
Traffic creeps at that hour.
To grow or spread along a surface, rooting at intervals or clinging by means of suckers or tendrils.
To grow horizontally under the ground, as the rhizomes of many plants.
To slip out of place; shift gradually.
To have a tingling sensation, made by or as if by things moving stealthily
A moan that made my flesh creep.
The act of creeping; a creeping motion or progress.
(Slang) An annoyingly unpleasant, unsettling, or repulsive person.
A slow flow of metal when under high temperature or great pressure.
A slow change in a characteristic of electronic equipment, such as a decrease in power with continued usage.
A usually unplanned and gradual shift or increase in uses or objectives away from what was originally specified or limited. Often used in combination
The function creep of using social security numbers for general identification purposes.
Mission creep from a military peacekeeping role to one of providing economic development.
(Geology) The slow movement of rock debris and soil down a weathered slope.
Creeps Informal A sensation of fear or repugnance, as if things were crawling on one's skin
That house gives me the creeps.
(intransitive) To move slowly with the abdomen close to the ground.
Lizards and snakes crept over the ground.
To grow across a surface rather than upwards.
(intransitive) To move slowly and quietly in a particular direction.
He tried to creep past the guard without being seen.
(intransitive) To make small gradual changes, usually in a particular direction.
Prices have been creeping up all year.
To move in a stealthy or secret manner; to move imperceptibly or clandestinely; to steal in; to insinuate itself or oneself.
Old age creeps upon us.
To slip, or to become slightly displaced.
The collodion on a negative, or a coat of varnish, may creep in drying.
The quicksilver on a mirror may creep.
To move or behave with servility or exaggerated humility; to fawn.
A creeping sycophant.
To have a sensation as of insects creeping on the skin of the body; to crawl.
The sight made my flesh creep.
To drag in deep water with creepers, as for recovering a submarine cable.
The movement of something that creeps (like worms or snails).
A relatively small gradual change, variation or deviation (from a planned value) in a measure.
A slight displacement of an object; the slight movement of something.
(uncountable) The gradual expansion or proliferation of something beyond its original goals or boundaries, considered negatively.
Christmas creep
Feature creep
Instruction creep
Mission creep
(publishing) In sewn books, the tendency of pages on the inside of a quire to stand out farther than those on the outside of it.
(materials science) An increase in strain with time; the gradual flow or deformation of a material under stress.
(geology) The imperceptible downslope movement of surface rock.
Someone unpleasantly strange or eccentric.
A frightening and/or disconcerting person, especially one who gives the speaker chills.
Stop following me, you creep!
(agriculture) A barrier with small openings used to keep large animals out while allowing smaller animals to pass through.
To move along the ground, or on any other surface, on the belly, as a worm or reptile; to move as a child on the hands and knees; to crawl.
Ye that walkThe earth, and stately tread, or lowly creep.
To move slowly, feebly, or timorously, as from unwillingness, fear, or weakness.
The whining schoolboy . . . creeping, like snail,Unwillingly to school.
Like a guilty thing, I creep.
To move in a stealthy or secret manner; to move imperceptibly or clandestinely; to steal in; to insinuate itself or one's self; as, age creeps upon us.
The sophistry which creeps into most of the books of argument.
Of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women.
To slip, or to become slightly displaced; as, the collodion on a negative, or a coat of varnish, may creep in drying; the quicksilver on a mirror may creep.
To move or behave with servility or exaggerated humility; to fawn; as, a creeping sycophant.
To come as humbly as they used to creep.
To grow, as a vine, clinging to the ground or to some other support by means of roots or rootlets, or by tendrils, along its length.
The act or process of creeping.
A distressing sensation, or sound, like that occasioned by the creeping of insects.
A creep of undefinable horror.
Out of the stillness, with gathering creep,Like rising wind in leaves.
A slow rising of the floor of a gallery, occasioned by the pressure of incumbent strata upon the pillars or sides; a gradual movement of mining ground.
Someone unpleasantly strange or eccentric
A slow longitudinal movement or deformation
A slow creeping mode of locomotion (on hands and knees or dragging the body);
A crawl was all that the injured man could manage
The traffic moved at a creep
Move slowly; in the case of people or animals with the body near the ground;
The crocodile was crawling along the riverbed
Show submission or fear
Creep Meaning in a Sentence
He tried not to let his nerves creep into his voice.
I felt a chill as I sensed something creep behind me.
The cat would silently creep towards its unsuspecting prey.
During the movie, a sense of fear started to creep into the room.
Plants will creep along the ground if they can't climb.
As he read the letter, a smile began to creep across his face.
She let her curiosity creep into the conversation with subtle questions.
He could feel jealousy creep in as he watched them together.
They heard the creep of footsteps in the supposedly empty house.
The sun's rays began to creep through the curtains, signaling morning.
Time seems to creep by when you're waiting for good news.
Technology tends to creep into every aspect of our lives.
Frost can creep up on gardeners, damaging plants overnight.
The ivy would creep along the walls, covering them entirely over time.
You can see the tide creep closer to the shore as the moon rises.
The darkness seemed to creep closer as the candle burned lower.
Slowly, the fog began to creep over the city.
As autumn approaches, the chill begins to creep into the air.
She could feel the blush creep up her cheeks when he complimented her.
The idea began to creep into mainstream thinking.
He felt the dread creep up his spine as he approached the dark alley.
Creep Idioms & Phrases
Creep up on
To approach someone or something quietly and surprise them.
He managed to creep up on his friend and scare him.
Creep in
To become a part of something slowly and often unnoticed.
Errors can creep in during the editing process.
Creep into
To start to become a part of something in a way that is not immediately noticeable.
Doubt began to creep into his mind about the decision.
Creep over
To slowly cover an area.
A sense of calmness crept over me as I listened to the soothing music.
Let something creep up
To allow something to gradually increase or worsen without noticing.
Don't let your debts creep up; keep track of your spending.
Make one's skin creep
To cause someone to feel fear or disgust.
The eerie music in the game made my skin creep.
The slow creep of
The gradual advancement of something.
The slow creep of technology into everyday life is undeniable.
Feature creep
The tendency for product or project requirements to increase during development beyond those originally foreseen.
We have to guard against feature creep if we want to launch on time.
Creep factor
An informal term describing the level of creepiness or eeriness someone or something conveys.
The abandoned asylum has a high creep factor.
Creep out
To cause someone to feel uncomfortable or scared.
Stop telling ghost stories; you're creeping me out.
Mission creep
The expansion of a project or mission beyond its original goals, often making it unmanageable.
We need to define our objectives clearly to avoid mission creep.
Make the flesh creep
To horrify or terrify someone.
Tales of the haunted mansion made the flesh creep.
Cost creep
The gradual and often unnoticed increase in the cost of a project.
We've experienced some cost creep due to unexpected delays.
Time creep
The phenomenon where time seems to move slowly in anticipation or dread of something.
Waiting for the exam results was a real time creep.
Scope creep
The continuous growth of project scope after the project has begun, often without approvals.
Scope creep has pushed our project deadline back by several months.
Common Curiosities
Which vowel is used before Creep?
Depending on context, the vowel "a" might be used, as in "a creep."
What is the root word of Creep?
The root word is the Old English "crēopan".
Why is it called Creep?
The term "creep" is derived from the Old English "crēopan," meaning to move slowly or stealthily.
What is the pronunciation of Creep?
Creep is pronounced as /kriːp/.
What is the singular form of Creep?
The singular form is "creep."
Which preposition is used with Creep?
"Into" is commonly used, as in "creep into."
Which conjunction is used with Creep?
The conjunction varies by sentence; "and" could be used, among others.
What is the verb form of Creep?
The verb form is "creep".
Is Creep a noun or adjective?
"Creep" can be both a noun and a verb.
Is Creep an adverb?
No, "creep" is not an adverb.
Is Creep an abstract noun?
No, it's not an abstract noun.
What is the plural form of Creep?
The plural form is "creeps."
Is Creep a collective noun?
No, "creep" is not a collective noun.
Which article is used with Creep?
Both "a" and "the" can be used depending on the context.
Is the word Creep is imperative?
No, it's not imperative.
Is Creep a vowel or consonant?
The word "creep" begins with a consonant.
Is the word Creep is Gerund?
No, but "creeping" is the gerund form.
How do we divide Creep into syllables?
Creep is one syllable and cannot be divided.
What part of speech is Creep?
"Creep" can be a noun or a verb.
What is another term for Creep?
"Sneak" can be another term when referring to movement.
How many syllables are in Creep?
There is one syllable in "creep."
What is a stressed syllable in Creep?
The entire word "creep" is stressed as it's one syllable.
What is the first form of Creep?
The first form is "creep."
Which determiner is used with Creep?
Determiners like "this," "that," "a," and "the" can be used with "creep."
What is the second form of Creep?
The second form is "crept."
How is Creep used in a sentence?
"The cat began to creep silently towards its prey."
Is Creep a negative or positive word?
It can be neutral, but often has a negative connotation when referring to a person.
Is Creep a countable noun?
Yes, e.g., "There are several creeps at the party."
Is the Creep term a metaphor?
It can be used metaphorically, e.g., "The creep of urbanization."
Is the word “Creep” a Direct object or an Indirect object?
"Creep" can serve as a direct object, e.g., "I saw a creep."
What is the opposite of Creep?
"Rush" or "dart" can be opposites in terms of movement.
What is the third form of Creep?
The third form is "crept."
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Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
