Which to use
“clans” and “class” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #15,986
- “clans” frequency rank
- #430
- “class” frequency rank
- 16416
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | clans | class |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | plural of clan | A group, collection, category or set sharing characteristics or attributes. |
Where the eye mixes clans and class
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: clans vs class
A purely visual mix-up. clans (/klænz/) and class (/klɑːs/) 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 a single letter - n in “clans” becomes s in “class”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 16416, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
clans is recorded at frequency rank #15,986, classified as anoun, pronounced /klænz/. class is at rank #430, tagged as anoun, pronounced /klɑːs/.
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 16416, this pair ranks #457,868 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of clans vs class
Shared letters: acls. Private to "clans": n. Private to "class": -.
"clans" · 5 letters · shape CCVCC · "class" · 5 letters · shape CCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "clans" for "class" ever safe?
Which is more common, "clans" or "class"?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "clans" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "class" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #457,868 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "clans" and "class" 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 #457,868 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.