clarify

/ˈklæɹ.ɪ.faɪ/

//ˈklæɹ.ɪ.faɪ// verb

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

"clarify" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“clarify” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #8,909. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#8,909
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
6
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To make or become clear or bright by freeing from impurities or turbidity.

Corpus desk

Index EN-clarify · clarify · English

clarify · rank #8,909 · 11 variants · 6 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #8,909
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 6 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH Cl

Nearest frequency peer: Cl (-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 “clarify”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “clarify” 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).

clarify vs clary
71% similar
clarify vs clarity
86% similar
clarify vs clarion
71% similar

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

Key facts for clarify
PropertyValue
Headwordclarify
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈklæɹ.ɪ.faɪ/
Letters7
Frequency rank#8,909
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs6
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “clarify”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).clarifylands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “Cl” (#8,908), “climbed” (#8,910), “comp” (#8,911). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “clarify” is #8,909. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around clarify (IPA /ˈklæɹ.ɪ.faɪ/), averb. Corpus frequency is #8,909 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for clarify, with forms such as "calrify", "cclarify", and "clairfy". 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 6 confusable-pair relationships, "clary", "clarity", "clarion", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English clarifien, from Old French clarifiier, from Latin clārificō, clārificāre; clārus (“clear”) + faciō, facere (“make”). Semantically clear + -ify. The correct English form is clarify, spelled C-L-A-R-I-F-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    To make or become clear or bright by freeing from impurities or turbidity.
  2. 2
    To make or become clear or easily understood; to explain or resolve in order to remove doubt or obscurity.
  3. 3
    To glorify.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how clarify appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. What's the best way to clarify cooking oil?
  2. Leave the wine for 24 hours and it will clarify.

Etymology

From Middle English clarifien, from Old French clarifiier, from Latin clārificō, clārificāre; clārus (“clear”) + faciō, facere (“make”). Semantically clear + -ify.

This word in other languages

clarificar(Español)clarifier(Français)klären(Deutsch)clarificar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • calrify
  • cclarify
  • clairfy
  • clarfiy
  • clariffy
  • clarifyy
  • clariyf
  • clarrify
  • cllarify
  • clraify
  • lcarify

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of clarify - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

calrify2cclarify1clairfy2clarfiy2clariffy1clarifyy1clariyf2clarrify1
Edit distance from "clarify"

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 "clarify"?
"clarify" is spelled C-L-A-R-I-F-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈklæɹ.ɪ.faɪ/.
What does "clarify" mean?
As a verb, "clarify" means: To make or become clear or bright by freeing from impurities or turbidity.
What words are commonly confused with "clarify"?
"clarify" is commonly confused with "clary", "clarity", "clarion". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "clarify"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "clarify" is /ˈklæɹ.ɪ.faɪ/. 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 "clarify"?
From Middle English clarifien, from Old French clarifiier, from Latin clārificō, clārificāre; clārus (“clear”) + faciō, facere (“make”). Semantically clear + -ify. 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 "clarify", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

climbed#8,910builder#8,902blogger#8,897diagram#8,921

Similar misspelling depth

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

Buddhist11 variantseditions11 variantsexplorer11 variantsfarther11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list