Paper clip or paperclip?
paper clip is a noun meaning “A small, folded, wire or plastic device used to hold sheets of paper together”; paperclip is a noun meaning “Alternative spelling of paper clip”. Wiktionary gives them as spellings of the same word. paper clip is written as two words and paperclip as one word; they are used differently.
What is the difference between paper clip and paperclip?
| paper clip | paperclip | |
|---|---|---|
| Part of speech | noun | noun, verb |
| Meaning | A small, folded, wire or plastic device used to hold sheets of paper together USListed after an amount of money to emphasize a lack of resources | To fasten with a paper clip |
| Example | none recorded | none recorded |
| Forms | none | paperclips |
| Pronunciation | not recorded | not recorded |
| In writing | not counted (the list counts single words) | about once in every 5 million words |
Sources: paper clip and paperclip in the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0); written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
Every current meaning of paper clip and paperclip
paper clip
- 1
A small, folded, wire or plastic device used to hold sheets of paper together
- 2
USListed after an amount of money to emphasize a lack of resources
paperclip
- 1
Alternative spelling of paper clip
- 2
To fasten with a paper clip
Source: the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0); obsolete, archaic, dialect and rare senses left out.
Which is more common, paper clip or paperclip?
paper clip is a phrase, which the list of single words does not count; paperclip about once in every 5 million words.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).