clandestine

/klænˈdɛst(a)ɪn/

//klænˈdɛst(a)ɪn// adj

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

"clandestine" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“clandestine” has 17 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #22,036. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#22,036
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
17
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Done or kept in secret, sometimes to conceal an illicit or improper purpose.

Corpus desk

Index EN-clandestine · clandestine · English

clandestine · rank #22,036 · 17 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #22,036
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 17 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH circumcision

Nearest frequency peer: circumcision (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “clandestine”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “clandestine” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for clandestine
PropertyValue
Headwordclandestine
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/klænˈdɛst(a)ɪn/
Letters11
Frequency rank#22,036
Misspellings tracked17
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “clandestine”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).clandestinelands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “circumcision” (#22,035), “clarifying” (#22,037), “clutter” (#22,038). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “clandestine” is #22,036. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 17 spelling variants around clandestine (IPA /klænˈdɛst(a)ɪn/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #22,036 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 17 likely wrong-spelling variants for clandestine, with forms such as "calndestine", "cclandestine", and "cladnestine". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin clandestīnus (“secret, concealed”); compare French clandestin. The correct English form is clandestine, spelled C-L-A-N-D-E-S-T-I-N-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Done or kept in secret, sometimes to conceal an illicit or improper purpose.
  2. 2
    Not recognized as a regular member.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. clandestine military operations
  2. Monimia, who while she yielded to his earnest entreaties had always felt, from the natural rectitude of her understanding, the impropriety of their clandestine correspondence, would, he feared, be more than ever sensible of her indiscretion, when she found that a servant was entrusted with it...

Etymology

From Latin clandestīnus (“secret, concealed”); compare French clandestin.

This word in other languages

clandestino(Español)clandestin(Français)klammheimlich(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • calndestine
  • cclandestine
  • cladnestine
  • clanddestine
  • clandesitne
  • clandesstine
  • clandestien
  • clandestinne
  • clandestnie
  • clandesttine
  • clandetsine
  • clandsetine
  • clanedstine
  • clanndestine
  • cllandestine
  • clnadestine
  • lcandestine

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of clandestine - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

calndestine2cclandestine1cladnestine2clanddestine1clandesitne2clandesstine1clandestien2clandestinne1
Edit distance from "clandestine"

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 "clandestine"?
"clandestine" is spelled C-L-A-N-D-E-S-T-I-N-E. The IPA pronunciation is /klænˈdɛst(a)ɪn/.
What does "clandestine" mean?
As an adjective, "clandestine" means: Done or kept in secret, sometimes to conceal an illicit or improper purpose.
What are common misspellings of "clandestine"?
Common misspellings include "calndestine", "cclandestine", "cladnestine", "clanddestine", "clandesitne". The correct spelling is "clandestine".
How do you pronounce "clandestine"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "clandestine" is /klænˈdɛst(a)ɪn/. 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 "clandestine"?
From Latin clandestīnus (“secret, concealed”); compare French clandestin. 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 "clandestine", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 11 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

diagnostics#22,057biochemical#22,010babysitting#22,005aristocracy#21,998

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (17 here; floor ≥5).

cartwright17 variantsthermometer17 variantsHillsborough17 variantsterminating17 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list