Which to use
“cleared” and “cleave” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #5,111
- “cleared” frequency rank
- #34,831
- “cleave” frequency rank
- 39942
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | cleared | cleave |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | simple past and past participle of clear | To split or sever something with, or as if with, a sharp instrument. |
Where the eye mixes cleared and cleave
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: cleared vs cleave
A purely visual mix-up. cleared (/klɪɹd/) and cleave (/kliːv/) 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 39942, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
cleared is recorded at frequency rank #5,111, classified as averb, pronounced /klɪɹd/. cleave is at rank #34,831, tagged as averb, pronounced /kliːv/.
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 39942, this pair ranks #272,111 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of cleared vs cleave
Shared letters: acel. Private to "cleared": dr. Private to "cleave": v.
"cleared" · 7 letters · shape CCVVCVC · "cleave" · 6 letters · shape CCVVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "cleared" and "cleave" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "cleared" vs "cleave" - 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 "cleared" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "cleave" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #272,111 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "cleared" and "cleave" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "cleave vs cleaved". 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 #272,111 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.