cleft

/klɛft/

//klɛft// noun

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

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

The verdict

“cleft” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #31,109 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#31,109
frequency rank, English
5
letters
8
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - An opening, fissure, or V-shaped indentation made by or as if by splitting.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

cleft vs clot
60% similar
cleft vs clit
60% similar
cleft vs Cleo
40% similar

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

Key facts for cleft
PropertyValue
Headwordcleft
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/klɛft/
Letters5
Frequency rank#31,109
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “cleft” 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). cleft lands here:

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

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for cleft is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /klɛft/. Corpus data places it at rank #31,109 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for cleft, with forms such as "ccleft", "celft", and "clefft". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "clot", "clit", "Cleo", 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 clift, from Old English ġeclyft, from Proto-West Germanic *klufti, from Proto-Germanic *kluftiz, equivalent to cleave + -t (“-th”). Compare Dutch klucht (“coarse comedy”), Swedish klyft (“cave, den”), German Kluft. See cleave. The correct English form is cleft, spelled C-L-E-F-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    An opening, fissure, or V-shaped indentation made by or as if by splitting.
  2. 2
    A piece made by splitting.
  3. 3
    A disease of horses; a crack on the band of the pastern.

Etymology

From Middle English clift, from Old English ġeclyft, from Proto-West Germanic *klufti, from Proto-Germanic *kluftiz, equivalent to cleave + -t (“-th”). Compare Dutch klucht (“coarse comedy”), Swedish klyft (“cave, den”), German Kluft. See cleave.

This word in other languages

hendidura(Español)fissure(Français)Spalte(Deutsch)partido(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ccleft,celft,clefft,cleftt,cletf,clfet,clleft,lceft

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of cleft - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

ccleft1celft2clefft1cleftt1cletf2clfet2clleft1lceft2
Edit distance from "cleft"

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 "cleft"?
"cleft" is spelled C-L-E-F-T. The IPA pronunciation is /klɛft/.
What does "cleft" mean?
As a noun, "cleft" means: An opening, fissure, or V-shaped indentation made by or as if by splitting.
What words are commonly confused with "cleft"?
"cleft" is commonly confused with "clot", "clit", "Cleo". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "cleft"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "cleft" is /klɛft/. 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 "cleft"?
From Middle English clift, from Old English ġeclyft, from Proto-West Germanic *klufti, from Proto-Germanic *kluftiz, equivalent to cleave + -t (“-th”). Compare Dutch klucht (“coarse comedy”), Swedish klyft (“cave, den”), German Kluft. See cleave. 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.

Using “cleft”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is C-L-E-F-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /klɛft/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “clot” - see the side-by-side comparison. cleft vs clot
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list