bedclothes

noun

"bedclothes" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“bedclothes” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
10
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Sheets, blankets, quilts or other coverings used on a bed.

Corpus desk

Index EN-bedclothes · bedclothes · English

bedclothes · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "B" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Key facts for bedclothes
PropertyValue
Headwordbedclothes
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters10
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “bedclothes” in English

bedclothesranks outside the top 100,000 English headwords, in the long tail of specialist, archaic, or seldom-used vocabulary, exactly the territory where a reader stops mid-sentence to double-check spelling.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

bedclothes is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

bedclothes doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. Our dataset records no confusable match here, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English bedclothys, plural of Middle English bedcloth, bedclothe, bedde clothe (“bed-cloth, bedding”), from Old English bedclāþ, beddclāþ (“coverlet, blanket, bedding, bedclothes”), equivalent to bed + clothes. The correct English form is bedclothes, spelled B-E-D-C-L-O-T-H-E-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Sheets, blankets, quilts or other coverings used on a bed.
  2. 2
    Clothing worn to bed.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how bedclothes appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. She pulled the bedclothes over her neck to stay warm.
  2. When she was little and I went to see her in bed, I often thought she wasn't there. She lay so neatly and so straight, without a ruckle and with her head just under the top of the bedclothes.

Etymology

From Middle English bedclothys, plural of Middle English bedcloth, bedclothe, bedde clothe (“bed-cloth, bedding”), from Old English bedclāþ, beddclāþ (“coverlet, blanket, bedding, bedclothes”), equivalent to bed + clothes.

Synonyms

This word in other languages

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "bedclothes"?
"bedclothes" is spelled B-E-D-C-L-O-T-H-E-S.
What does "bedclothes" mean?
As a noun, "bedclothes" means: Sheets, blankets, quilts or other coverings used on a bed.
What is the origin of the word "bedclothes"?
From Middle English bedclothys, plural of Middle English bedcloth, bedclothe, bedde clothe (“bed-cloth, bedding”), from Old English bedclāþ, beddclāþ (“coverlet, blanket, bedding, bedclothes”), equivalent to bed + clothes. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list