clichévsclickerWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“cliché” and “clicker” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#22,616
“cliché” frequency rank
#46,382
“clicker” frequency rank
68998
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature cliché clicker
Definition Something, most often a phrase or expression, that is overused or used outside its original context, so that its original impact and meaning are lost. A trite saying; a platitude. The remote-control device used to change settings on a television set, VCR, or other electronic equipment.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set cliché and clicker apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
cliché
7 ch
clicker

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. cliché (/ˈkliː.ʃeɪ/) and clicker (/ˈklɪkə/) 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 68998, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

cliché is recorded at frequency rank #22,616, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈkliː.ʃeɪ/. clicker is at rank #46,382, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈklɪkə/.

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 68998, this pair ranks #56,449 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of cliché vs clicker

Shared letters: cil. Private to "cliché": . Private to "clicker": ekr.

"cliché" · 6 letters · shape CCVCCV  ·  "clicker" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • clickercclicker · cilcker · clciker · cliccker · clicekr · clickerr · clickker · clickre

Frequency comparison

cliché#22,616
clicker#46,382

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "cliché" and "clicker" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (/ˈkliː.ʃeɪ/ versus /ˈklɪkə/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "cliché" or "clicker"?
"cliché" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #22,616 in our English list, against #46,382 for "clicker". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering cliché vs clicker

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “cliché” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list