clandestinely
/klænˈdɛs.tɪn.li/
"clandestinely" is a 13-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“clandestinely” is uncommon English (frequency #63,509 among 5,599 “C” headwords), classed as an adverb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- #63,509
- frequency rank, English
- 5,599
- “C” headwords
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - In a secret or covert manner.
Corpus desk
Index EN-clandestinely · clandestinely · English
clandestinely · rank #63,509 · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-RARE #63,509
- LEN-MEGA 13 letters
- VOW-5 5 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-DENSE 5,599
- PHOTO-FINISH circumferenti…
Nearest frequency peer: circumferential (-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.
Long-tail ranks near “clandestinely”
Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter
- chemtrails
chemtrails
36,496 corpus weight
- circumferen…
circumferential
36,494 corpus weight
- clandestine…
clandestinely
36,492 corpus weight
- clumping
clumping
36,490 corpus weight
- coalfield
coalfield
36,489 corpus weight
- cockle
cockle
36,487 corpus weight
What this shows Long-tail view: where “clandestinely” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | clandestinely |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adverb |
| IPA | /klænˈdɛs.tɪn.li/ |
| Letters | 13 |
| Frequency rank | #63,509 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “clandestinely” in English
Rare enough to double-check
clandestinely is uncommon English at frequency #63,509 among 5,599 “C” headwords, classed as anadverb, transcribed /klænˈdɛs.tɪn.li/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.
We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for clandestinely, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.
Etymologically, the entry records: From clandestine + -ly. The correct English form is clandestinely, spelled C-L-A-N-D-E-S-T-I-N-E-L-Y.
Definition
- 1In a secret or covert manner.
- 2In an illicit way, i.e. not permitted by the law or regulations.
Recorded use
Wiktionary exampleThese source excerpts show how clandestinely appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
In another moment, Louisa's arms were around her also, welcoming her to Violet Lodge, and pouring on her a thousand thanks, yet asking, with trepidation, "have you brought the dear girls clandestinely?"
Etymology
From clandestine + -ly.
This word in other languages
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 "clandestinely", not the corpus desk frequency band.
Same letter count
Frequency-ranked English headwords with 13 letters (nearest by frequency rank).