Which to use
“clack” and “cracks” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #46,381
- “clack” frequency rank
- #8,267
- “cracks” frequency rank
- 54648
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | clack | cracks |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | An abrupt, sharp sound, especially one made by two hard objects colliding repetitively; a sound midway between a click and a clunk. | plural of crack |
Where the eye mixes clack and cracks
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses clack with cracks
A purely visual mix-up. clack (/klæk/) and cracks (/kɹæks/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 54648, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
clack is recorded at frequency rank #46,381, classified as anoun, pronounced /klæk/. cracks is at rank #8,267, tagged as anoun, pronounced /kɹæks/.
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 54648, this pair ranks #139,475 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of clack vs cracks
Shared letters: ack. Private to "clack": l. Private to "cracks": rs.
"clack" · 5 letters · shape CCVCC · "cracks" · 6 letters · shape CCVCCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "clack" and "cracks" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "clack" or "cracks"?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "clack" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "cracks" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #139,475 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "clack" and "cracks" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "clack vs clink". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #139,475 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.