Which to use
“cleans” and “clerks” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #21,161
- “cleans” frequency rank
- #19,290
- “clerks” frequency rank
- 40451
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | cleans | clerks |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | plural of clean | plural of clerk |
Where the eye mixes cleans and clerks
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. cleans (CCVVCC) and clerks (CCVCCC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Visual trap between cleans and clerks
A purely visual mix-up. cleans (/kliːnz/) and clerks (/klɑː(ɹ)ks/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 40451, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
cleans is recorded at frequency rank #21,161, classified as anoun, pronounced /kliːnz/. clerks is at rank #19,290, tagged as anoun, pronounced /klɑː(ɹ)ks/.
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 40451, this pair ranks #267,506 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of cleans vs clerks
Shared letters: cels. Private to "cleans": an. Private to "clerks": kr.
"cleans" · 6 letters · shape CCVVCC · "clerks" · 6 letters · shape CCVCCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "cleans" for "clerks" ever safe?
Frequency check: "cleans" vs "clerks" - which ranks higher?
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 "cleans" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "clerks" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #267,506 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "cleans" and "clerks" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "clang vs cleans". 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 #267,506 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.