Which to use
“clips” is a noun and “clumps” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #6,664
- “clips” frequency rank
- #31,478
- “clumps” frequency rank
- 38142
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | clips | clumps |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | plural of clip | third-person singular simple present indicative of clump |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set clips and clumps apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
clips and clumps form a confusable pair in the English index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 38142, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
clips is recorded at frequency rank #6,664, classified as anoun, pronounced /klɪps/. clumps is at rank #31,478, tagged as averb, pronounced /klʌmps/.
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 38142, this pair ranks #288,474 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "clips" and "clumps" be used interchangeably?
Remembering clips vs clumps
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “clips”; for a verb, it's “clumps”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “clips” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable