clatter

/ˈklætɚ/

//ˈklætɚ// verb

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

"clatter" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“clatter” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #44,121. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#44,121
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
16
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To make a rattling sound.

Corpus desk

Index EN-clatter · clatter · English

clatter · rank #44,121 · 9 variants · 16 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #44,121
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 16 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH Clarksville

Nearest frequency peer: Clarksville (-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 “clatter”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “clatter” 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).

clatter vs cutter
71% similar
clatter vs crater
71% similar
clatter vs cotter
71% similar

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

Key facts for clatter
PropertyValue
Headwordclatter
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈklætɚ/
Letters7
Frequency rank#44,121
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs16
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “clatter”

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).clatterlands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “Clarksville” (#44,120), “clench” (#44,122), “cirrus” (#44,119). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “clatter” is #44,121. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around clatter (IPA /ˈklætɚ/), averb. Corpus frequency is #44,121 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for clatter, with forms such as "caltter", "cclatter", and "clater". 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 16 confusable-pair relationships, "cutter", "crater", "cotter", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English clatren (“to make a rattling sound”), from Old English *clatrian (attested as the Late Old English gerund clatrung), of onomatopoeic origin. Compare Dutch klateren, kletteren. The noun, derived from the verb, is first attested in the 14ᵗ… The correct English form is clatter, spelled C-L-A-T-T-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    To make a rattling sound.
  2. 2
    To chatter noisily or rapidly.
  3. 3
    To hit; to smack.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. When all the bees are gone to settle, / You clatter still your brazen kettle.
  2. When he came to Nottingham, he entered that part of the market where butchers stood, and took up his inn in the best place he could find. Next, he opened his stall and spread his meat upon the bench, then, taking his cleaver and steel and clattering them together, he trolled aloud in merry tones: […]

Etymology

From Middle English clatren (“to make a rattling sound”), from Old English *clatrian (attested as the Late Old English gerund clatrung), of onomatopoeic origin. Compare Dutch klateren, kletteren. The noun, derived from the verb, is first attested in the 14ᵗʰ century.

This word in other languages

traquetear(Español)claquer(Français)klappern(Deutsch)chocalhar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • caltter
  • cclatter
  • clater
  • clatetr
  • clatterr
  • clattre
  • cllatter
  • cltater
  • lcatter

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

caltter2cclatter1clater1clatetr2clatterr1clattre2cllatter1cltater2
Edit distance from "clatter"

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 "clatter"?
"clatter" is spelled C-L-A-T-T-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈklætɚ/.
What does "clatter" mean?
As a verb, "clatter" means: To make a rattling sound.
What words are commonly confused with "clatter"?
"clatter" is commonly confused with "cutter", "crater", "cotter". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "clatter"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "clatter" is /ˈklætɚ/. 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 "clatter"?
From Middle English clatren (“to make a rattling sound”), from Old English *clatrian (attested as the Late Old English gerund clatrung), of onomatopoeic origin. Compare Dutch klateren, kletteren. The noun, derived from the verb, is first attested ... 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 "clatter", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Conyers#44,136caliper#44,104Buckner#44,100broiler#44,098

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

chimed9 variantscussing9 variantsdelved9 variantsdevalue9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list