One syllable: crib.
krib
/kɹɪb/
crib is pronounced krib (/kɹɪb/). It has one syllable (crib), with the stress on "crib". Crib refers to a small bed for a infant, often with barred sides; as a metaphor it can mean a cheat sheet or anything used as a hiding place or quick reference. In everyday use, it signals a personal sleeping space for a baby or a makeshift improvised shelter of sorts. The term can also function as a verb in some dialects meaning to steal or to cheat, though that usage is far less common today.
Crib refers to a small bed for a infant, often with barred sides; as a metaphor it can mean a cheat sheet or anything used as a hiding place or quick reference. In everyday use, it signals a personal sleeping space for a baby or a makeshift improvised shelter of sorts. The term can also function as a verb in some dialects meaning to steal or to cheat, though that usage is far less common today.
"The baby slept peacefully in the crib by the window."
"She kept a list of tips in her crib to keep everything organized."
"The quarterback’s playbook was a crib sheet, hidden under his pillow."
You say /krɪb/. The initial consonant cluster is a hard k sound [k] followed by the r-colored vowel [ɹ], then a short short i as in ‘kit’ [ɪ], finishing with a voiced bilabial stop [b]. The main stress is on the single syllable; keep the vowel short and crisp. Think: crisp and precise mouth closure for the [b].
Common errors include pronouncing it as /krəb/ with an unstressed schwa, which softens the vowel; or turning it into /krɪːb/ with a lengthened vowel. To correct: keep the vowel short as /ɪ/, avoid nucleus length, and ensure the final /b/ is fully released without voicing into a vowel. Also prevent adding a preceding vowel like /ə/ before /krɪb/ in rapid speech. Practice with minimal pairs to feel the crisp /ɪ/ before /b/.
In US, UK, and AU, the pronunciation remains /krɪb/ for the word itself; the primary differences appear in the surrounding vowels or connected speech. Non-rhotic accents may have a slightly sharper /r/ realization in careful speech, but with typical American rhoticity you’ll hear a more pronounced rhotic coda. In fast speech, some speakers may reduce preceding vowels in fluent contexts, but the essential /ɪ/ and /b/ remain intact. Overall, crib is stable across these accents with minimal variation.
The challenge sits in the short, high-front vowel /ɪ/ before a stop consonant /b/, which can bleed into a faint schwa if you’re not precise. Also, releasing the final /b/ cleanly without voicing into the next sound can be tricky in connected speech. For some speakers, an overlong vowel or a clipped consonant can distort the word. Focus on a tight mouth position with a crisp release to keep the vowel short and the /b/ fully voiced.
A helpful tip is to think of the word as two quick cues: a closed, front mouth position for /ɪ/ and a strong bilabial stop /b/ with immediate, crisp release into silence. Practice by saying ‘cr’ with a vibrant /k/ then drop into /ɪ/ and finish with /b/—no extra vowel. Using a mirror, watch the tightness of your lips at the /b/ release and avoid a lingering voice after the stop.
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crib derives from the Middle English crib, cribbe, meaning a manger or rack for animals, from Old English crib, cribb, related to the Proto-Germanic root krib- meaning to cut or carve, reflecting the notion of a small enclosure or stall. In its earliest senses, crib referred to a manger or a stable structure for animals, then broadened to include human sleeping environments for infants. By the 18th century it also took on metaphorical senses: a hiding place, a cheat sheet, or a place to stash things—hence phrases like ‘crib sheet’ that emerged in scholastic contexts. The modern sense of a baby’s small bed became dominant through the 19th and 20th centuries as infant paraphernalia proliferated and standardized. In American English particularly, crib as a verb meaning “to copy” or “to plagiarize” appeared in slang, drawing on the notion of stealing another’s ideas and passing them off as one’s own. Across dialects, the word has retained its core spatial-immediate meaning while expanding into figurative uses in education, sports, and culture. First known use in print tended to align with its literal sense as infant furniture, with figurative uses appearing increasingly in the 1800s and 1900s as universal literacy and slang adoption grew.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "crib" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "crib"
-rib sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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