clear as a bell

adj

"clear-as-a-bell" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“clear as a bell” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
15
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Totally clear; distinct and unmistakeable.

Corpus desk

Index EN-clear-as-a-bell · clear as a bell · English

clear as a bell · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 15 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "C" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for clear as a bell
PropertyValue
Headwordclear as a bell
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
Letters15
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “clear as a bell” in English

clear as a bellfalls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

clear as a bell is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Totally clear; distinct and unmistakeable.".

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for clear as a bell, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: Used in reference to the clarity of a bell's tone. The correct English form is clear as a bell, spelled C-L-E-A-R- -A-S- -A- -B-E-L-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    Totally clear; distinct and unmistakeable.

Etymology

Used in reference to the clarity of a bell's tone.

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "clear as a bell"?
"clear as a bell" is spelled C-L-E-A-R- -A-S- -A- -B-E-L-L.
What does "clear as a bell" mean?
As an adjective, "clear as a bell" means: Totally clear; distinct and unmistakeable.
What is the origin of the word "clear as a bell"?
Used in reference to the clarity of a bell's tone. 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list