# cataclysm

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈkætəˌklɪzm̩/ · frequency rank #44,673

## Definitions
1. A sudden, violent event.
2. A sudden and violent change in the earth's crust.
3. A great flood.

## 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”).

## Easily confused with
- **catalyst** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cataclysm-vs-catalyst)
- **cataclysmic** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cataclysm-vs-cataclysmic)

## Common misspellings (15)
`actaclysm`, `caatclysm`, `catacclysm`, `catacllysm`, `cataclsym`, `cataclyms`, `cataclysmm`, `cataclyssm`, `cataclyysm`, `catacylsm`, `catalcysm`, `catcalysm`, `cattaclysm`, `ccataclysm`, `ctaaclysm`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/cataclysm