clashing

adj

"clashing" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“clashing” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #32,324 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.

#32,324
frequency rank, English
8
letters
13
tracked misspellings
16
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - conflicting, contrasting, or contrary; inconsonant, incompatible, or irreconcilable

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

clashing vs closing
75% similar
clashing vs clawing
75% similar
clashing vs clothing
75% similar

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

Key facts for clashing
PropertyValue
Headwordclashing
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
Letters8
Frequency rank#32,324
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs16
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “clashing” 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). clashing lands here:

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

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for clashing is 8 letters long, classified as an adjective. Corpus data places it at rank #32,324 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for clashing, with forms such as "calshing", "cclashing", and "clahsing". 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 16 confusable-pair relationships, "closing", "clawing", "clothing", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

No documented word history exists for this headword, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct English form is clashing, spelled C-L-A-S-H-I-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    conflicting, contrasting, or contrary; inconsonant, incompatible, or irreconcilable
  2. 2
    mismatched, inharmonious, discordant or dissonant, not fitting well together (especially in regards to aesthetics, colors, clothing, or sounds)
  3. 3
    adverse or antagonistic; disagreeing or opposing
  4. 4
    Producing a clash or series of clashes.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: calshing,cclashing,clahsing,clashhing,clashign,clashingg,clashinng,clashnig,clasihng,classhing,cllashing,clsahing,lcashing

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

calshing2cclashing1clahsing2clashhing1clashign2clashingg1clashinng1clashnig2
Edit distance from "clashing"

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 "clashing"?
"clashing" is spelled C-L-A-S-H-I-N-G.
What does "clashing" mean?
As an adjective, "clashing" means: conflicting, contrasting, or contrary; inconsonant, incompatible, or irreconcilable
What words are commonly confused with "clashing"?
"clashing" is commonly confused with "closing", "clawing", "clothing". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
What language does "clashing" come from?
"clashing" is a English word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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 “clashing”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is C-L-A-S-H-I-N-G - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Don't mix it up with “closing” - see the side-by-side comparison. clashing vs closing
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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