clean

/kliːn/

//kliːn// adj

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

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

The verdict

“clean” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #1,135. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#1,135
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 2, 2026) - Free of dirt, filth, or impurities (extraneous matter); not dirty, filthy, or soiled.

Corpus desk

Index EN-clean · clean · English

clean · rank #1,135 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #1,135
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH Canada

Nearest frequency peer: Canada (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “clean”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “clean” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 2, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

clean vs Cleo
40% similar
clean vs clem
60% similar
clean vs cyan
60% similar

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

Key facts for clean
PropertyValue
Headwordclean
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/kliːn/
Letters5
Frequency rank#1,135
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “clean” 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). clean lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around clean (IPA /kliːn/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #1,135 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 22 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for clean, with forms such as "cclean", "celan", and "claen". 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, "Cleo", "clem", "cyan", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English clene, clane, from Old English clǣne (“clean, pure”), from Proto-West Germanic *klainī (“shining, fine, splendid, tender”), perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *glēy- (“gleaming”), from Proto-Indo-European *gel- (“to gleam”). Cognate with S… The correct English form is clean, spelled C-L-E-A-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Free of dirt, filth, or impurities (extraneous matter); not dirty, filthy, or soiled.
  2. 2
    Free of dirt, filth, or impurities (extraneous matter); not dirty, filthy, or soiled.
  3. 3
    Free of contamination, (unwanted) germs, infection, or disease.
  4. 4
    Free of contamination, (unwanted) germs, infection, or disease.
  5. 5
    Free of imperfections, blemishes, or defects.
  6. 6
    Free of imperfections, blemishes, or defects.
  7. 7
    Free of imperfections, blemishes, or defects.
  8. 8
    Free of imperfections, blemishes, or defects.
  9. 9
    Free of immorality or criminality.
  10. 10
    Free of immorality or criminality.
  11. 11
    Free of immorality or criminality.
  12. 12
    Free of immorality or criminality.
  13. 13
    Free of immorality or criminality.
  14. 14
    Free of infiltration by covert listening or recording devices (bugs), enemy spies, etc.
  15. 15
    Empty.
  16. 16
    Smooth, exact, and performed well.
  17. 17
    That does not damage the environment (as much as some alternative).
  18. 18
    Allowing an uninterrupted flow over surfaces, without protrusions such as racks or landing gear.
  19. 19
    Having the undercarriage and flaps in the up position.
  20. 20
    Well-proportioned; shapely.
  21. 21
    Cool or neat.
  22. 22
    Utter, complete, total; pure; free from restraint.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Are these dishes clean? Your room is finally clean! For a baby, happiness is a full bottle and a clean diaper.
  2. Then his sallow face brightened, for the hall had been carefully furnished, and was very clean. There was a neat hat-and-umbrella stand, and the stranger's weary feet fell soft on a good, serviceable dark-red drugget, which matched in colour the flock-paper on the walls.

Etymology

From Middle English clene, clane, from Old English clǣne (“clean, pure”), from Proto-West Germanic *klainī (“shining, fine, splendid, tender”), perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *glēy- (“gleaming”), from Proto-Indo-European *gel- (“to gleam”). Cognate with Scots clean (“absolute, pure, clear, empty”) and clene, clane (“clean”), North Frisian klien (“small”), West Frisian klien (“small”), klean (“clean”), Dutch klein (“small”), Low German kleen (“small”), German klein (“small”), Swedish klen (“weak, feeble, delicate”), Icelandic klénn (“poor, feeble, petty, snug, puny, cheesy, lame”).

Synonyms

cleanclean as a beanclean as a hound's toothclean as a new pennyclean as a new pinclean as a whistleimmaculatepristinespick-and-spanspotlesssqueaky cleanstainlessunsoiledunsullied

Antonyms

dirtyunclean

This word in other languages

limpio(Español)propre(Français)sauber(Deutsch)limpo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • cclean
  • celan
  • claen
  • cleann
  • clena
  • cllean
  • lcean

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of clean - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

cclean1celan2claen2cleann1clena2cllean1lcean2
Edit distance from "clean"

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 2, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "clean"?
"clean" is spelled C-L-E-A-N. The IPA pronunciation is /kliːn/.
What does "clean" mean?
As an adjective, "clean" means: Free of dirt, filth, or impurities (extraneous matter); not dirty, filthy, or soiled.
What words are commonly confused with "clean"?
"clean" is commonly confused with "Cleo", "clem", "cyan". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "clean"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "clean" is /kliːn/. 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 "clean"?
From Middle English clene, clane, from Old English clǣne (“clean, pure”), from Proto-West Germanic *klainī (“shining, fine, splendid, tender”), perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *glēy- (“gleaming”), from Proto-Indo-European *gel- (“to gleam”). Cogn... 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 "clean", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

agree#1,133quick#1,127photo#1,145scene#1,149

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

unless7 variantsteams7 variantscoach7 variantscosts7 variants
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