claw

/klɔ/

//klɔ// noun

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

"claw" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“claw” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #13,116. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#13,116
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A curved, pointed, horny projection on each digit of the foot of a mammal, reptile, or bird.

Corpus desk

Index EN-claw · claw · English

claw · rank #13,116 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #13,116
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH cis

Nearest frequency peer: cis (-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 “claw”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “claw” 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).

claw vs CW
0% similar
claw vs cow
50% similar
claw vs CPA
0% similar

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

Key facts for claw
PropertyValue
Headwordclaw
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/klɔ/
Letters4
Frequency rank#13,116
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “claw”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).clawlands 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 “cis” (#13,115), “chamberlain” (#13,114), “coloring” (#13,118). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “claw” is #13,116. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around claw (IPA /klɔ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #13,116 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 8 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for claw, with forms such as "calw", "cclaw", and "claww". 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, "CW", "cow", "CPA", 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 English clawe, from Old English clawu, from Proto-Germanic *klawō. Compare West Frisian klau, Dutch klauw, German Klaue, Danish klo, Norwegian klo, and Swedish klo. The correct English form is claw, spelled C-L-A-W.

Definition

  1. 1
    A curved, pointed, horny projection on each digit of the foot of a mammal, reptile, or bird.
  2. 2
    A foot equipped with such.
  3. 3
    The pincer (chela) of a crustacean or other arthropod.
  4. 4
    A mechanical device resembling a claw, used for gripping or lifting.
  5. 5
    A human fingernail, particularly one extending well beyond the fingertip.
  6. 6
    A slender appendage or process, formed like a claw, such as the base of petals of the pink.
  7. 7
    The act of catching a ball overhand.
  8. 8
    A tree with one internal vertex and three leaves.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. a narrow base, as the petals of a Rose, where the claw is very short

Etymology

From Middle English clawe, from Old English clawu, from Proto-Germanic *klawō. Compare West Frisian klau, Dutch klauw, German Klaue, Danish klo, Norwegian klo, and Swedish klo.

This word in other languages

garra(Español)griffe(Français)Klaue(Deutsch)garra(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • calw
  • cclaw
  • claww
  • cllaw
  • clwa
  • lcaw

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

calw2cclaw1claww1cllaw1clwa2lcaw2
Edit distance from "claw"

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 "claw"?
"claw" is spelled C-L-A-W. The IPA pronunciation is /klɔ/.
What does "claw" mean?
As a noun, "claw" means: A curved, pointed, horny projection on each digit of the foot of a mammal, reptile, or bird.
What words are commonly confused with "claw"?
"claw" is commonly confused with "CW", "cow", "CPA". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "claw"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "claw" is /klɔ/. 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 "claw"?
From Middle English clawe, from Old English clawu, from Proto-Germanic *klawō. Compare West Frisian klau, Dutch klauw, German Klaue, Danish klo, Norwegian klo, and Swedish klo. 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 "claw", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

buff#13,111Brit#13,108Benz#13,102fart#13,147

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).

avail6 variantsabide6 variantsweber6 variantsgrin6 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list