Which to use
“clamps” and “clasp” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #27,400
- “clamps” frequency rank
- #25,321
- “clasp” frequency rank
- 52721
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | clamps | clasp |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | plural of clamp | A device with interlocking parts used for fastening things together, such as a fastener or a holder. |
Where the eye mixes clamps and clasp
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. clamps runs 6 letters (CCVCCC) against clasp's 5 (CCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: clamps vs clasp
A purely visual mix-up. clamps (/klæmps/) and clasp (/klæsp/) 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 52721, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
clamps is recorded at frequency rank #27,400, classified as anoun, pronounced /klæmps/. clasp is at rank #25,321, tagged as anoun, pronounced /klæsp/.
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 52721, this pair ranks #154,754 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of clamps vs clasp
Shared letters: aclps. Private to "clamps": m. Private to "clasp": -.
"clamps" · 6 letters · shape CCVCCC · "clasp" · 5 letters · shape CCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "clamps" for "clasp" ever safe?
Frequency check: "clamps" vs "clasp" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "clamps" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "clasp" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #154,754 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "clamps" and "clasp" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "clasp vs clasped". 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 #154,754 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.