clanger
/ˈklæŋ.ə(ɹ)/
"clanger" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“clanger” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as a noun - the kind of word writers most often double-check.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 7
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Something that clangs; an alarm bell (also figuratively).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | clanger |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈklæŋ.ə(ɹ)/ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “clanger” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for clanger is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈklæŋ.ə(ɹ)/. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. Wiktionary records 6 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
No generated misspelling entries exist for clanger in our index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: From clang (“loud ringing sound”) + -er. The correct English form is clanger, spelled C-L-A-N-G-E-R.
Definition
- 1Something that clangs; an alarm bell (also figuratively).
- 2The clapper of a bell, anything that strikes a bell or other metal object to make a ringing sound.
- 3A very noticeable mistake; an attention-getting faux pas.
- 4A mistake made by a player; counted in the game statistics in the category "errors including frees against".
- 5An early hi-hat consisting of cymbals mounted on the rim of a bass drum and struck with an arm on the drum's pedal.
- 6A cicada, Psaltoda claripennis, of New South Wales and Queensland, having an upper body of green and brown and clear wings with green veins.
Etymology
From clang (“loud ringing sound”) + -er.
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). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “clanger”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is C-L-A-N-G-E-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈklæŋ.ə(ɹ)/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.