clasp
/klɑːsp/noun, verb
clasp is spelled C-L-A-S-P: 5 letters and one syllable. It appears 1.3 times per million words in written English, the 25,367th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, clasp means “A device with interlocking parts used for fastening things together, such as a fastener or a holder” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of clasp is clasps.
How many letters and syllables are in clasp?
| Letters | 5: C-L-A-S-P |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.3 times per million words; the 25,367th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with | |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is clasp?
Clasp appears 1.3 times per million words in written English, the 25,367th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce clasp?
- UK /klɑːsp/
- UK /klæsp/
- /klasp/
Clasp has one syllable (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-clasp.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with clasp?
2 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as clasp from its last stressed vowel (/ɑsp/, British pronunciation):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: scalp.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of clasp
- clasps plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- clasping participle, present
- clasped participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does clasp mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A device with interlocking parts used for fastening things together, such as a fastener or a holder.
I always have a hard time working the clasp on this necklace!
- 2
A bar or insignia on a medal ribbon, to either indicate an additional award of the medal, or the action or service for which it was awarded.
- 3
An embrace, a grasp, or handshake.
He took her hand in a firm clasp.
verb
- 1
To take hold of; to grasp.
They clasped hands and parted as friends.
- 2
To shut or fasten together with, or as if with, a clasp.
- 3
obsoleterareTo cling.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Clasp in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | fermoir , serrer |
| German | Spange, Klammer, Schnalle, Verschluss , greifen , Griff |
| Portuguese | gancho , agarrar, enganchar |
| Spanish | broche, manija, corchete, hebilla, gafete , abrazo |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does clasp come from?
Noun dated ca. 1300 and verb dated ca. 1400; from Middle English claspe (“metal catch or hook used to hold things together”), possible metathesis of clapse, which comes from or related to Old English clyppan (“clasp”) (also see clip (verb)). Related to English enclasp (“embrace, hold tightly in one's arms”). Compare hasp, of very similar meaning but older known provenance.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).