Which to use
“class” and “clause” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #430
- “class” frequency rank
- #7,205
- “clause” frequency rank
- 7635
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | class | clause |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A group, collection, category or set sharing characteristics or attributes. | A group of words that contains a subject and a verb; it may be part of a sentence or may constitute the whole sentence, depending on the syntax in each instance. |
Where the eye mixes class and clause
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: class vs clause
A purely visual mix-up. class (/klɑːs/) and clause (/klɔːz/) 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 7635, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
class is recorded at frequency rank #430, classified as anoun, pronounced /klɑːs/. clause is at rank #7,205, tagged as anoun, pronounced /klɔːz/.
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 7635, this pair ranks #506,261 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of class vs clause
Shared letters: acls. Private to "class": -. Private to "clause": eu.
"class" · 5 letters · shape CCVCC · "clause" · 6 letters · shape CCVVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "class" for "clause" ever safe?
Which is more common, "class" or "clause"?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "class" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "clause" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #506,261 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "class" and "clause" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "chaise vs clause". 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 #506,261 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.