ESEN
Which one to use?Intermediatenounnoun / verb
CreekvsCreak
'Creek' is a small stream or inlet; 'creak' is a sharp squeaking sound, or to make such a sound.
Side-by-side comparison
Creek
noun"Creek" is a small stream or brook. "Up the creek" = in trouble (informal expression).
They followed the creek upstream until they found a good spot to fish.
Without that contract, the company is really up the creek.
The children built a dam across the creek using stones and mud from the bank.
Creak
noun / verb"Creak" is the squeaking or creaking sound something makes when it moves: a door, a wooden floor, an old chair. Also the verb to make that sound.
The old floorboards creaked loudly underfoot as she crossed the empty hall.
She heard a creak from the attic and wondered if the house was settling.
The door creaked open slowly, revealing no one on the other side.
Common mistake
- •"The stair made a loud creek" when meaning the squeaking sound is wrong: the noise is "creak".
- •"She fished in the creak" when meaning the stream is also wrong: the small waterway is "creek".
Trick to remember it
- •"Creek" has EEK like the startled exclamation, something in the water.
- •"Creak" has EAK like "squeak" and "peak", sounds and tensions.
- •Creek = water; creak = sound.
Quick rule
- •Is it the small stream or inlet? "Creek".
- •Is it the squeaking sound or the verb to squeak? "Creak".
Did you know?
"Up the creek without a paddle" (in serious trouble with no solution) has obvious nautical origins, if you are in a boat on a creek with no way to propel yourself, you are truly stuck. House creaks happen because wood expands and contracts with temperature and humidity changes, old timber-frame houses can change volume by up to 4% seasonally. That is why old wooden houses "speak" so much more than modern concrete ones.
Practise what you learned
Exercise 1 · Pick the right one
The floorboards _____ ed loudly when she walked across the room at night.
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
The children played in the shallow _____ behind their house all afternoon.
Exercise 3 · Form the word
Related word pairs
AcceptvsExcept
One means to receive or agree to something, the other means to exclude or not include.
AdvicevsAdvise
'Advice' is the guidance you receive (noun); 'advise' is the act of giving that guidance (verb).
AffectvsEffect
'Affect' is the verb meaning to influence something; 'effect' is the noun meaning result or consequence.
AislevsIsle
'Aisle' is the walkway between rows of seats or shelves; 'isle' is a small island.
Bryan López
Founder of SpeakUP Academy