cataclysm
/ˈkætəˌklɪzm̩/
"cataclysm" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“cataclysm” has 15 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #44,673. The variants make it a useful spelling check.
- #44,673
- frequency rank, English
- 5,599
- “C” headwords
- 15
- tracked misspellings
- 2
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A sudden, violent event.
Corpus desk
Index EN-cataclysm · cataclysm · English
cataclysm · rank #44,673 · 15 variants · 2 confusables
- FREQ-MID #44,673
- LEN-LONG 9 letters
- VOW-3 3 vowels
- CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
- VAR-HIGH 15 variants
- BOOK-DENSE 5,599
- PHOTO-FINISH Carrollton
Nearest frequency peer: Carrollton (-2 rank slots)
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.
Rank peers near misspelling magnet “cataclysm”
Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword
- caldera
caldera
55,334 corpus weight
- Calvinist
Calvinist
55,333 corpus weight
- capitan
capitan
55,332 corpus weight
- Carrollton
Carrollton
55,330 corpus weight
- cataclysm
cataclysm
55,328 corpus weight
- centrepiece
centrepiece
55,323 corpus weight
What this shows “cataclysm” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | cataclysm |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈkætəˌklɪzm̩/ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Frequency rank | #44,673 |
| Misspellings tracked | 15 |
| Confusable pairs | 2 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “cataclysm”
A misspelling magnet
The generator records 15 spelling variants around cataclysm (IPA /ˈkætəˌklɪzm̩/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #44,673 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.
Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for cataclysm, with forms such as "actaclysm", "caatclysm", and "catacclysm". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "catalyst", "cataclysmic", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.
Etymologically, the entry records: From French cataclysme, from Latin cataclysmus, from Ancient Greek κατακλυσμός (kataklusmós, “deluge, flood”), from κατακλύζω (kataklúzō, “to dash over, flood, deluge, inundate”), from κατά (katá, “downwards, towards”) + κλύζω (klúzō, “to wash off, to wash … The correct English form is cataclysm, spelled C-A-T-A-C-L-Y-S-M.
Definition
- 1A sudden, violent event.
- 2A sudden and violent change in the earth's crust.
- 3A great flood.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how cataclysm appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
While the disaster capitalism complex does not deliberately scheme to create cataclysms on which it feeds (though Iraq may be a notable exception), there is plenty of evidence that its component industries work very hard indeed to make that current disastrous trends continue unchallenged.
Judging by the sedimentary composition of the crust, it appears that Altaaya once possessed an atmosphere thick enough to support some form of liquid. What cataclysm stripped the atmosphere and left the planet to freeze is not currently known.
Etymology
From French cataclysme, from Latin cataclysmus, from Ancient Greek κατακλυσμός (kataklusmós, “deluge, flood”), from κατακλύζω (kataklúzō, “to dash over, flood, deluge, inundate”), from κατά (katá, “downwards, towards”) + κλύζω (klúzō, “to wash off, to wash away, to dash over”).
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as:
- actaclysm
- caatclysm
- catacclysm
- catacllysm
- cataclsym
- cataclyms
- cataclysmm
- cataclyssm
- cataclyysm
- catacylsm
- catalcysm
- catcalysm
- cattaclysm
- ccataclysm
- ctaaclysm
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of cataclysm - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Similar English words by spelling shape
Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "cataclysm", not the corpus desk frequency band.
Same letter count
Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).
Similar misspelling depth
Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (15 here; floor ≥5).