Clark

/klɑː(ɹ)k/

//klɑː(ɹ)k// name

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

"clark" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“Clark” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #3,744. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#3,744
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An English and Scottish surname originating as an occupation for a scribe, secretary, or cleric.

Corpus desk

Index EN-clark · Clark · English

Clark · rank #3,744 · 8 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #3,744
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH channels

Nearest frequency peer: channels (-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 “Clark”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “Clark” 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).

Clark vs clay
40% similar
Clark vs cork
40% similar
Clark vs claw
40% similar

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

Key facts for Clark
PropertyValue
HeadwordClark
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechProper noun
IPA/klɑː(ɹ)k/
Letters5
Frequency rank#3,744
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “Clark”

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).Clarklands 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 “channels” (#3,743), “commonly” (#3,745), “bishop” (#3,742). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “Clark” is #3,744. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around Clark (IPA /klɑː(ɹ)k/), aproper noun. Corpus frequency is #3,744 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 16 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for Clark, with forms such as "calrk", "cclark", and "clakr". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "clay", "cork", "claw", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Old English clerc (“clergyman; learned man”), whence also clerk. The correct English form is Clark, spelled C-L-A-R-K.

Definition

  1. 1
    An English and Scottish surname originating as an occupation for a scribe, secretary, or cleric.
  2. 2
    A male given name transferred from the surname.
  3. 3
    A locale in the United States:
  4. 4
    A locale in the United States:
  5. 5
    A locale in the United States:
  6. 6
    A locale in the United States:
  7. 7
    A locale in the United States:
  8. 8
    A locale in the United States:
  9. 9
    A locale in the United States:
  10. 10
    A locale in the United States:
  11. 11
    A locale in the United States:
  12. 12
    A locale in the United States:
  13. 13
    A locale in the United States:
  14. 14
    A locale in the Philippines.
  15. 15
    A locale in the Philippines.
  16. 16
    A locale in the Philippines.

Etymology

From Old English clerc (“clergyman; learned man”), whence also clerk.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • calrk
  • cclark
  • clakr
  • clarkk
  • clarrk
  • cllark
  • clrak
  • lcark

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

calrk2cclark1clakr2clarkk1clarrk1cllark1clrak2lcark2
Edit distance from "Clark"

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 "Clark"?
"Clark" is spelled C-L-A-R-K. The IPA pronunciation is /klɑː(ɹ)k/.
What does "Clark" mean?
As a proper noun, "Clark" means: An English and Scottish surname originating as an occupation for a scribe, secretary, or cleric.
What words are commonly confused with "Clark"?
"Clark" is commonly confused with "clay", "cork", "claw". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Clark"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Clark" is /klɑː(ɹ)k/. 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 "Clark"?
From Old English clerc (“clergyman; learned man”), whence also clerk. 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 "Clark", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

angle#3,737Allen#3,735forum#3,756gifts#3,757

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

towns8 variantshence8 variantsSeattle8 variantsrefuse8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list