class

/klɑːs/

//klɑːs// noun

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

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

The verdict

“class” is in the everyday core of English, ranked #430 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#430
frequency rank, English
5
letters
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A group, collection, category or set sharing characteristics or attributes.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

class vs CSS
0% similar
class vs clay
60% similar
class vs claw
60% similar

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

Key facts for class
PropertyValue
Headwordclass
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/klɑːs/
Letters5
Frequency rank#430
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “class” 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). class 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 class is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /klɑːs/. Corpus data places it at rank #430 in overall English word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 17 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for class, with forms such as "calss", "cclass", and "clas". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "CSS", "clay", "claw", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle French classe, from Latin classis (“a class or division of the people, assembly of people, the whole body of citizens called to arms, the army, the fleet, later a class or division in general”), from Proto-Indo-European *kelh₁- (“to call, shout”… The correct English form is class, spelled C-L-A-S-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    A group, collection, category or set sharing characteristics or attributes.
  2. 2
    A social grouping, based on job, wealth, etc. In Britain, society is commonly split into three main classes: upper class, middle class and working class.
  3. 3
    The division of society into classes.
  4. 4
    Admirable behavior; elegance.
  5. 5
    A group of students in a regularly scheduled meeting with a teacher.
  6. 6
    A series of lessons covering a single subject.
  7. 7
    A single lesson in a series.
  8. 8
    A group of students who commenced or completed their education during a particular year. A school class.
  9. 9
    a grade, standard, level of education.
  10. 10
    A category of seats in an airplane, train or other means of mass transportation.
  11. 11
    A rank in the classification of organisms, below phylum and above order; a taxon of that rank.
  12. 12
    Best of its kind.
  13. 13
    A grouping of data values in an interval, often used for computation of a frequency distribution.
  14. 14
    A collection of sets definable by a shared property, especially one which is not itself a set (in which case the class is called proper).
  15. 15
    A group of people subject to be conscripted in the same military draft, or more narrowly those persons actually conscripted in a particular draft.
  16. 16
    A set of objects having the same behavior (but typically differing in state), or a template defining such a set in terms of its common properties, functions, etc.
  17. 17
    One of the sections into which a Methodist church or congregation is divided, supervised by a class leader.

Etymology

From Middle French classe, from Latin classis (“a class or division of the people, assembly of people, the whole body of citizens called to arms, the army, the fleet, later a class or division in general”), from Proto-Indo-European *kelh₁- (“to call, shout”). Doublet of clas and classis.

Synonyms

categoryclassdescriptionfashiondivisionfamilygenreilkkindlikesracerubricsetsorttype

This word in other languages

clase(Español)classe(Français)Klasse(Deutsch)classe(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: calss,cclass,clas,cllass,clsas,lcass

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

calss2cclass1clas1cllass1clsas2lcass2
Edit distance from "class"

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 "class"?
"class" is spelled C-L-A-S-S. The IPA pronunciation is /klɑːs/.
What does "class" mean?
As a noun, "class" means: A group, collection, category or set sharing characteristics or attributes.
What words are commonly confused with "class"?
"class" is commonly confused with "CSS", "clay", "claw". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "class"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "class" is /klɑːs/. 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 "class"?
From Middle French classe, from Latin classis (“a class or division of the people, assembly of people, the whole body of citizens called to arms, the army, the fleet, later a class or division in general”), from Proto-Indo-European *kelh₁- (“to ca... 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.

Using “class”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is C-L-A-S-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /klɑːs/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “CSS” - see the side-by-side comparison. class vs CSS
  • 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