# clay

> English word · Noun · IPA /kleɪ/ · frequency rank #4,358

## Definitions
1. A mineral substance made up of small crystals of silica and alumina, that is ductile when moist; the material of pre-fired ceramics.
2. An earth material with ductile qualities.
3. A tennis court surface made of crushed stone, brick, shale, or other unbound mineral aggregate.
4. The material of the human body.
5. A particle less than 3.9 microns in diameter, following the Wentworth scale.
6. A clay pipe for smoking tobacco.
7. A clay pigeon.
8. Land or territory of a country or other political region, especially when subject to territorial claims.
9. A moth, Mythimna ferrago

## Etymology
From Middle English cley, clay, from Old English clǣġ (“clay”), from Proto-West Germanic *klaij, from Proto-Germanic *klajjaz (“clay”), from Proto-Indo-European *gley- (“to glue, paste, stick together”).
Cognate with Dutch klei (“clay”), Low German Klei (“clay”), German Klei, Danish klæg (“clay”); compare Ancient Greek γλία (glía), Latin glūten (“glue”) (whence ultimately English glue), Russian глина (glina, “clay”). Related also to clag, clog.

## Easily confused with
- **cry** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/clay-vs-cry)
- **CPA** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/clay-vs-cpa)
- **CSA** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/clay-vs-csa)
- **coa** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/clay-vs-coa)
- **coy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/clay-vs-coy)
- **CMA** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/clay-vs-cma)
- **CTA** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/clay-vs-cta)
- **CLP** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/clay-vs-clp)
- **CLC** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/clay-vs-clc)
- **Clo** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/clay-vs-clo)
- **club** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/clay-vs-club)
- **copy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/clay-vs-copy)
- **coal** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/clay-vs-coal)
- **crap** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/clay-vs-crap)
- **coat** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/clay-vs-coat)
- **clip** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/clay-vs-clip)
- **clue** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/clay-vs-clue)
- **Cody** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/clay-vs-cody)
- **crab** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/clay-vs-crab)
- **cola** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/clay-vs-cola)

## Common misspellings (6)
`caly`, `cclay`, `clayy`, `cllay`, `clya`, `lcay`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/clay