Crevices are small, usually narrow cracks or gaps in a surface. Think of the word as a synonym of split, crack, rent, and cranny. A crevasse is a large fissure, especially in a glacier. The word’s synonyms include abyss and chasm. Crevice and crevasse are not actually homophones—as crevice is pronounced KREV-iss, while crevasse is pronounced kruh-VOSS—but their similarity in sound and meaning makes them easy to confuse.





The words have a common origin—the Old French cravace—but they came to English at different times. Crevice has borne its modern meaning in English since the 14th century, whereas crevasse came to English in the 19th century via Alpine mountain-climbing lingo.






Examples