clanger
/ˈklæŋ.ə(ɹ)/noun
clanger is spelled C-L-A-N-G-E-R: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 19 million words in written English, the 130,282nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, clanger means “Something that clangs; an alarm bell” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of clanger is clangers.
How many letters and syllables are in clanger?
| Letters | 7: C-L-A-N-G-E-R |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 19 million words; the 130,282nd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is clanger?
Clanger appears about once in every 19 million words in written English, the 130,282nd 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 clanger?
- UK /ˈklæŋ.ə(ɹ)/
Clanger has 2 syllables (counted from the pronunciation).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: EN-AU_ck1_clanger.ogg, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-clanger.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with clanger?
4 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as clanger from its last stressed vowel (/æŋə/, British pronunciation):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of clanger
- clangers plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does clanger mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Something that clangs; an alarm bell.
- 2
The clapper of a bell, anything that strikes a bell or other metal object to make a ringing sound.
- 3
CommonwealthIrelandUKinformalA very noticeable mistake; an attention-getting faux pas.
In his speech, the best man got the bride's name wrong. What a clanger!
- 4
AustraliaA mistake made by a player; counted in the game statistics in the category "errors including frees against".
- 5
An early hi-hat consisting of cymbals mounted on the rim of a bass drum and struck with an arm on the drum's pedal.
- 6
AustraliaA cicada, Psaltoda claripennis, of New South Wales and Queensland, having an upper body of green and brown and clear wings with green veins.
- 7
Short for Bedfordshire clanger.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Clanger in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense noticeable mistake:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | couac |
| German | Schnitzer, Fehltritt, Fauxpas, Fettnäpfchen |
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 clanger come from?
From clang (“loud ringing sound”) + -er.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).