clammy

/ˈklæmi/

//ˈklæmi// adj

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"clammy" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“clammy” is uncommon English (frequency #54,691 among 5,599 “C” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#54,691
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Cold and damp, usually referring to hands or palms.

Corpus desk

Index EN-clammy · clammy · English

clammy · rank #54,691 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #54,691
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH Cirencester

Nearest frequency peer: Cirencester (-1 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.

Long-tail ranks near “clammy”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “clammy” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for clammy
PropertyValue
Headwordclammy
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈklæmi/
Letters6
Frequency rank#54,691
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “clammy” in English

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).clammyfalls in this rarity band:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “Cirencester” (#54,690), “classicism” (#54,692), “clichéd” (#54,694). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “clammy” is #54,691. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

clammy is uncommon English at frequency #54,691 among 5,599 “C” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˈklæmi/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

No misspelling variants are generated for clammy in our index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. Our dataset records no confusable match here, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English clam (“viscous, sticky; slimy”) + -y, from Old English clǣman (“to smear, bedaub”). Compare German klamm (“clammy”) and klemmen (“to be stuck, stick”). See also clam. The correct English form is clammy, spelled C-L-A-M-M-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Cold and damp, usually referring to hands or palms.
  2. 2
    The quality of normal skin signs, epidermis that is neither diaphoretic nor dry.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. His hands were clammy from fright.
  2. The cause is a temperate conglutination ; for both bodies are clammy and viscous , and do bridle the deflux of humours to the hurts , without penning them in too much

Etymology

From Middle English clam (“viscous, sticky; slimy”) + -y, from Old English clǣman (“to smear, bedaub”). Compare German klamm (“clammy”) and klemmen (“to be stuck, stick”). See also clam.

This word in other languages

moite(Français)klamm(Deutsch)

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

How do you spell "clammy"?
"clammy" is spelled C-L-A-M-M-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈklæmi/.
What does "clammy" mean?
As an adjective, "clammy" means: Cold and damp, usually referring to hands or palms.
How do you pronounce "clammy"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "clammy" is /ˈklæmi/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "clammy"?
From Middle English clam (“viscous, sticky; slimy”) + -y, from Old English clǣman (“to smear, bedaub”). Compare German klamm (“clammy”) and klemmen (“to be stuck, stick”). See also clam. 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "clammy", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

cooped#54,707capper#54,673crikey#54,716crypts#54,720

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list