clarification

/ˌklæɹɪfɪˈkeɪʃən/

//ˌklæɹɪfɪˈkeɪʃən// noun

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

"clarification" is a 13-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“clarification” has 20 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #14,089. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#14,089
frequency rank, English
43,570
“C” headwords
20
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The act of clarifying; the act or process of making clear or transparent by freeing visible impurities; particularly, the clearing or fining of liquid substances from impurities via the separation ...

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

clarification vs classification
86% similar

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

Key facts for clarification
PropertyValue
Headwordclarification
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌklæɹɪfɪˈkeɪʃən/
Letters13
Frequency rank#14,089
Misspellings tracked20
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “clarification” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). clarification lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 20 spelling variants around clarification (IPA /ˌklæɹɪfɪˈkeɪʃən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #14,089 among 43,570 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 20 likely wrong-spelling variants for clarification, with forms such as "calrification", "cclarification", and "clairfication". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "classification", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Middle French clarification, from Latin clārificātiō. The correct English form is clarification, spelled C-L-A-R-I-F-I-C-A-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    The act of clarifying; the act or process of making clear or transparent by freeing visible impurities; particularly, the clearing or fining of liquid substances from impurities via the separation of the insoluble particles which prevent the liquid from being transparent.
  2. 2
    The act of freeing from obscurities; disambiguation.
  3. 3
    An explanatory comment on, or question about, a point of obscurity.
  4. 4
    A small piece of writing supplemental to a previously published text, intended to disambiguate, explain away obscurities, but not contradict or emend the text (as would a correction).
  5. 5
    Clarity, transparency, mutual understanding; to be clear.

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French clarification, from Latin clārificātiō.

This word in other languages

aclaración(Español)clarification(Français)Erläuterung(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • calrification
  • cclarification
  • clairfication
  • clarfiication
  • clarifciation
  • clariffication
  • clarifiaction
  • clarificaiton
  • clarificasion
  • clarificatino
  • clarificationn
  • clarificatoin
  • clarificattion
  • clarificcation
  • clarifictaion
  • clariifcation
  • clarrification
  • cllarification
  • clraification
  • lcarification

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of clarification - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

calrification2cclarification1clairfication2clarfiication2clarifciation2clariffication1clarifiaction2clarificaiton2
Edit distance from "clarification"

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 "clarification"?
"clarification" is spelled C-L-A-R-I-F-I-C-A-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌklæɹɪfɪˈkeɪʃən/.
What does "clarification" mean?
As a noun, "clarification" means: The act of clarifying; the act or process of making clear or transparent by freeing visible impurities; particularly, the clearing or fining of liquid substances from impurities via the separation ...
What words are commonly confused with "clarification"?
"clarification" is commonly confused with "classification". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "clarification"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "clarification" is /ˌklæɹɪfɪˈkeɪʃən/. 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 "clarification"?
Borrowed from Middle French clarification, from Latin clārificātiō. 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.

Using “clarification”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is C-L-A-R-I-F-I-C-A-T-I-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˌklæɹɪfɪˈkeɪʃən/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “classification” - see the side-by-side comparison. clarification vs classification
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Same frequency band

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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list