clearance

/ˈklɪəɹən(t)s/

//ˈklɪəɹən(t)s// noun

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

"clearance" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“clearance” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #7,540. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#7,540
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
14
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The act of clearing or something (such as a space) cleared.

Corpus desk

Index EN-clearance · clearance · English

clearance · rank #7,540 · 14 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-COMMON #7,540
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH circulation

Nearest frequency peer: circulation (-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 “clearance”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “clearance” 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).

clearance vs clarence
78% similar

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

Key facts for clearance
PropertyValue
Headwordclearance
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈklɪəɹən(t)s/
Letters9
Frequency rank#7,540
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “clearance”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).clearancelands 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 “circulation” (#7,539), “closes” (#7,541), “circular” (#7,538). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “clearance” is #7,540. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around clearance (IPA /ˈklɪəɹən(t)s/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #7,540 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 15 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for clearance, with forms such as "cclearance", "celarance", and "claerance". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "clarence", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From clear + -ance. The correct English form is clearance, spelled C-L-E-A-R-A-N-C-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    The act of clearing or something (such as a space) cleared.
  2. 2
    The distance between two moving objects, especially between parts of a machine
  3. 3
    The height or width of a tunnel, bridge or other passage, or the distance between a vehicle and the walls or roof of such passage; a gap, headroom.
  4. 4
    A permission for a vehicle to proceed, or for a person to travel.
  5. 5
    A permission to have access to sensitive or secret documents or other information.
  6. 6
    A permission to use something, usually intellectual property, that is legally, but not otherwise, protected.
  7. 7
    A sale of merchandise, especially at significantly reduced prices, usually in order to make room for new merchandise or updated versions of the same merchandise; sometimes as a closeout.
  8. 8
    The settlement of transactions involving securities or means of payment such as checks by means of a clearing house.
  9. 9
    The removal of harmful substances from the blood; renal clearance.
  10. 10
    The act of potting all the remaining balls on a table at one visit.
  11. 11
    The act of kicking a ball away from the goal one is defending.
  12. 12
    Removal of pieces from a rank, file or diagonal so that a bishop, rook or queen is free to move along it.
  13. 13
    Clear or net profit.
  14. 14
    The first disposal in a chain that leaves the area of a stoppage, or a disposal that leaves the area of a stoppage itself.
  15. 15
    The act of leaving the area of a stoppage.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. In conclusion, it must be reiterated that effective snow clearance is largely a matter of forward planning and departmental co-operation.
  2. When the scheme is completed, the 99-year-old swing bridge over the canal will be dispensed with as the new bridge will have sufficient height to allow clearance for the passage of canal traffic.

Etymology

From clear + -ance.

This word in other languages

despeje(Español)évacuation(Français)Rodung(Deutsch)folga(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • cclearance
  • celarance
  • claerance
  • cleaarnce
  • clearacne
  • clearancce
  • clearanec
  • clearannce
  • clearence
  • clearnace
  • clearrance
  • cleraance
  • cllearance
  • lcearance

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

cclearance1celarance2claerance2cleaarnce2clearacne2clearancce1clearanec2clearannce1
Edit distance from "clearance"

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 "clearance"?
"clearance" is spelled C-L-E-A-R-A-N-C-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈklɪəɹən(t)s/.
What does "clearance" mean?
As a noun, "clearance" means: The act of clearing or something (such as a space) cleared.
What words are commonly confused with "clearance"?
"clearance" is commonly confused with "clarence". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "clearance"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "clearance" is /ˈklɪəɹən(t)s/. 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 "clearance"?
From clear + -ance. 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 "clearance", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

countless#7,549assembled#7,525detention#7,555artillery#7,524

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

commissioned14 variantstherapist14 variantspackaging14 variantsmemorable14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list