# clarinet

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˌklæɹɪˈnɛt/ · frequency rank #24,702

## Definitions
1. A woodwind musical instrument that has a distinctive liquid tone whose characteristics vary among its three registers: chalumeau (low), clarion (medium), and altissimo (high).

## Etymology
Borrowed from Italian clarinetto, diminutive of clarino (“trumpet”) (as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet), from Latin clarus.
Alternatively, the word may come from French clarinette, diminutive form of clarine (“bell”), from clarin, from clair (“clear”), from Latin clarus.

## Easily confused with
- **claret** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/claret-vs-clarinet)
- **cabinet** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cabinet-vs-clarinet)
- **Clarice** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/clarice-vs-clarinet)

## Common misspellings (12)
`calrinet`, `cclarinet`, `clairnet`, `clarient`, `clarinett`, `clarinnet`, `clarinte`, `clarniet`, `clarrinet`, `cllarinet`, `clrainet`, `lcarinet`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/clarinet