clandestine
clan·des·tine/klænˈdɛst(a)ɪn/adjective
clandestine is spelled C-L-A-N-D-E-S-T-I-N-E: 11 letters and 3 syllables (clan·des·tine). It appears 1.6 times per million words in written English, the 22,073rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, clandestine means “Done or kept in secret, sometimes to conceal an illicit or improper purpose” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in clandestine?
| Letters | 11: C-L-A-N-D-E-S-T-I-N-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3: clan·des·tine |
| In writing | 1.6 times per million words; the 22,073rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is clandestine?
Clandestine appears 1.6 times per million words in written English, the 22,073rd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce clandestine?
- /klænˈdɛst(a)ɪn/
- /klænˈdɛs.tən/
- /ˈklændɪst(a)ɪn/
Clandestine has 3 syllables, split clan·des·tine in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-clandestine.ogg, En-au-clandestine.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of clandestine
- more clandestine comparative
- most clandestine superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does clandestine mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Done or kept in secret, sometimes to conceal an illicit or improper purpose.
clandestine military operations
- 2
Not recognized as a regular member.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Clandestine in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense done or kept in secret:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | clandestin |
| German | klammheimlich, heimlich, geheim, klandestin |
| Portuguese | clandestino |
| Spanish | clandestino |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does clandestine come from?
From Latin clandestīnus (“secret, concealed”); compare French clandestin.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).