Which to use
“claims” and “clans” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,447
- “claims” frequency rank
- #15,986
- “clans” frequency rank
- 17433
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | claims | clans |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | plural of claim | plural of clan |
Where the eye mixes claims and clans
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between claims and clans
A purely visual mix-up. claims (/kleɪmz/) and clans (/klænz/) 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 17433, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
claims is recorded at frequency rank #1,447, classified as anoun, pronounced /kleɪmz/. clans is at rank #15,986, tagged as anoun, pronounced /klænz/.
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 17433, this pair ranks #451,457 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of claims vs clans
Shared letters: acls. Private to "claims": im. Private to "clans": n.
"claims" · 6 letters · shape CCVVCC · "clans" · 5 letters · shape CCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "claims" and "clans" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "claims" vs "clans" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "claims" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "clans" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #451,457 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "claims" and "clans" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "clack vs clans". 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 #451,457 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.