clapboard
/ˈklæpˌbɔːd/
"clapboard" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“clapboard” is uncommon English (frequency #79,387 among 43,570 “C” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- #79,387
- frequency rank, English
- 43,570
- “C” headwords
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A narrow board, usually thicker at one edge than the other, used as siding for houses and similar structures of frame construction.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | clapboard |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈklæpˌbɔːd/ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Frequency rank | #79,387 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “clapboard” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
clapboard is uncommon English at frequency #79,387 among 43,570 “C” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈklæpˌbɔːd/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.
No misspelling variants are generated for clapboard in our index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English clapholt, partial translation from Middle Low German klappholt or Middle Dutch klapholt (“barrel stave”), from klappen (“to crack”) + holt (“wood”). The part "holt" was later calqued to "board". The correct English form is clapboard, spelled C-L-A-P-B-O-A-R-D.
Definition
- 1A narrow board, usually thicker at one edge than the other, used as siding for houses and similar structures of frame construction.
- 2Such boards, arranged horizontally and overlapping with thick edge down, collectively, as siding.
- 3An oak board of a size used for barrel staves.
Etymology
From Middle English clapholt, partial translation from Middle Low German klappholt or Middle Dutch klapholt (“barrel stave”), from klappen (“to crack”) + holt (“wood”). The part "holt" was later calqued to "board".
Synonyms
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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Using “clapboard”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is C-L-A-P-B-O-A-R-D - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈklæpˌbɔːd/ (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
Other uncommon English words near this rank
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.