clapping

/ˈklæpɪŋ/

//ˈklæpɪŋ// verb

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

"clapping" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“clapping” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #18,039. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#18,039
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
14
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - present participle and gerund of clap

Corpus desk

Index EN-clapping · clapping · English

clapping · rank #18,039 · 11 variants · 14 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #18,039
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 14 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH clinging

Nearest frequency peer: clinging (+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 “clapping”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “clapping” 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

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

clapping vs clawing
75% similar
clapping vs cupping
75% similar
clapping vs clipping
88% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for clapping
PropertyValue
Headwordclapping
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈklæpɪŋ/
Letters8
Frequency rank#18,039
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs14
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “clapping”

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).clappinglands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “clinging” (#18,040), “Cher” (#18,037), “clover” (#18,041). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “clapping” is #18,039. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around clapping (IPA /ˈklæpɪŋ/), averb. Corpus frequency is #18,039 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Dominant gloss: "present participle and gerund of clap".

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for clapping, with forms such as "calpping", "cclapping", and "claping". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 14 confusable-pair relationships, "clawing", "cupping", "clipping", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English clappynge; equivalent to clap + -ing. The correct English form is clapping, spelled C-L-A-P-P-I-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    present participle and gerund of clap

Etymology

From Middle English clappynge; equivalent to clap + -ing.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • calpping
  • cclapping
  • claping
  • clapipng
  • clappign
  • clappingg
  • clappinng
  • clappnig
  • cllapping
  • clpaping
  • lcapping

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of clapping - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

calpping2cclapping1claping1clapipng2clappign2clappingg1clappinng1clappnig2
Edit distance from "clapping"

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 "clapping"?
"clapping" is spelled C-L-A-P-P-I-N-G. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈklæpɪŋ/.
What does "clapping" mean?
As a verb, "clapping" means: present participle and gerund of clap
What words are commonly confused with "clapping"?
"clapping" is commonly confused with "clawing", "cupping", "clipping". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "clapping"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "clapping" is /ˈklæpɪŋ/. 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 "clapping"?
From Middle English clappynge; equivalent to clap + -ing. 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 "clapping", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

clinging#18,040coatings#18,043Connolly#18,046cookbook#18,047

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

Bordeaux11 variantsCristina11 variantsCromwell11 variantsdecorate11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list