clash

/klaʃ/

//klaʃ// noun

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

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

The verdict

“clash” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #7,430. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#7,430
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A loud sound, like the crashing together of metal objects; a crash.

Corpus desk

Index EN-clash · clash · English

clash · rank #7,430 · 8 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #7,430
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH clan

Nearest frequency peer: clan (-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 “clash”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “clash” 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).

clash vs clay
60% similar
clash vs claw
60% similar
clash vs Clos
40% similar

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

Key facts for clash
PropertyValue
Headwordclash
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/klaʃ/
Letters5
Frequency rank#7,430
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “clash”

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).clashlands 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 “clan” (#7,429), “columns” (#7,431), “characteristic” (#7,428). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “clash” is #7,430. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around clash (IPA /klaʃ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #7,430 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 9 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for clash, with forms such as "calsh", "cclash", and "clahs". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "clay", "claw", "Clos", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Of onomatopoeic origin. Compare Saterland Frisian klatskje (“to smack, slap”), West Frisian kletse, kletskje, Dutch kletsen (“to smack, slap, clash”), German Low German klattsen, klatsken (“to smack, splash”), German klatschen (“to clap, smack, slap”) and K… The correct English form is clash, spelled C-L-A-S-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    A loud sound, like the crashing together of metal objects; a crash.
  2. 2
    A skirmish, a hostile encounter.
  3. 3
    match; a game between two sides.
  4. 4
    An angry argument.
  5. 5
    Opposition; contradiction; such as between differing or contending interests, views, purposes etc.
  6. 6
    A combination of garments that do not look good together, especially because of conflicting colours.
  7. 7
    An instance of restarting the game after a "dead ball", where it is dropped between two opposing players, who can fight for possession.
  8. 8
    Chatter; gossip; idle talk.
  9. 9
    A heavy fall (of rain); heavy rain.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. I heard a clash from the kitchen, and rushed in to find the cat had knocked over some pots and pans.
  2. Alone amid clashes of rain against the house.

Etymology

Of onomatopoeic origin. Compare Saterland Frisian klatskje (“to smack, slap”), West Frisian kletse, kletskje, Dutch kletsen (“to smack, slap, clash”), German Low German klattsen, klatsken (“to smack, splash”), German klatschen (“to clap, smack, slap”) and Klatsch (“a clapping sound; the din resulting from two or more things colliding”), Danish klaske (“to clash, splatter”).

This word in other languages

estruendo(Español)fracas(Français)Scheppern(Deutsch)estrondo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • calsh
  • cclash
  • clahs
  • clashh
  • classh
  • cllash
  • clsah
  • lcash

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of clash - 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.

calsh2cclash1clahs2clashh1classh1cllash1clsah2lcash2
Edit distance from "clash"

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 "clash"?
"clash" is spelled C-L-A-S-H. The IPA pronunciation is /klaʃ/.
What does "clash" mean?
As a noun, "clash" means: A loud sound, like the crashing together of metal objects; a crash.
What words are commonly confused with "clash"?
"clash" is commonly confused with "clay", "claw", "Clos". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "clash"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "clash" is /klaʃ/. 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 "clash"?
Of onomatopoeic origin. Compare Saterland Frisian klatskje (“to smack, slap”), West Frisian kletse, kletskje, Dutch kletsen (“to smack, slap, clash”), German Low German klattsen, klatsken (“to smack, splash”), German klatschen (“to clap, smack, sl... 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 "clash", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

bulls#7,423Brady#7,421berry#7,419armor#7,416

Similar misspelling depth

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

autism8 variantsadmire8 variantsgrasp8 variantshandy8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list