clerestory

/ˈklɪəɹ.stɔːɹi/

//ˈklɪəɹ.stɔːɹi// noun

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

"clerestory" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“clerestory” is uncommon English (frequency #94,685 among 5,599 “C” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#94,685
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The upper part of a wall containing windows to let in natural light to a building, especially in the nave, transept and choir of a church or cathedral.

Corpus desk

Index EN-clerestory · clerestory · English

clerestory · rank #94,685 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #94,685
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH citalopram

Nearest frequency peer: citalopram (-2 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.

Long-tail ranks near “clerestory”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “clerestory” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for clerestory
PropertyValue
Headwordclerestory
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈklɪəɹ.stɔːɹi/
Letters10
Frequency rank#94,685
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “clerestory” in English

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).clerestoryfalls in this rarity band:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “citalopram” (#94,683), “cloke” (#94,687), “chup” (#94,682). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “clerestory” is #94,685. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

clerestory is uncommon English at frequency #94,685 among 5,599 “C” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈklɪəɹ.stɔːɹi/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "The upper part of a wall containing windows to let in natural light to a building, especially in the nave, transept and choir of a church or cathedral.".

clerestory has no tracked misspelling variants, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English clerestory, from clere (“clear: light, lighted”) + story (“storey/story: level of a building”). The correct English form is clerestory, spelled C-L-E-R-E-S-T-O-R-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    The upper part of a wall containing windows to let in natural light to a building, especially in the nave, transept and choir of a church or cathedral.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Following these signs, he beheld three or four men with bent bows, leaning from the clerestory gallery.
  2. On the Visby-Västerhejde Railway there is a steam car. [...] The upperworks consist of a short clerestory coach body with end platforms and the engine chimney protruding from the roof like a stovepipe.

Etymology

From Middle English clerestory, from clere (“clear: light, lighted”) + story (“storey/story: level of a building”).

This word in other languages

clair-étage(Français)Obergaden(Deutsch)

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 "clerestory"?
"clerestory" is spelled C-L-E-R-E-S-T-O-R-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈklɪəɹ.stɔːɹi/.
What does "clerestory" mean?
As a noun, "clerestory" means: The upper part of a wall containing windows to let in natural light to a building, especially in the nave, transept and choir of a church or cathedral.
How do you pronounce "clerestory"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "clerestory" is /ˈklɪəɹ.stɔːɹi/. 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 "clerestory"?
From Middle English clerestory, from clere (“clear: light, lighted”) + story (“storey/story: level of a building”). 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 "clerestory", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

citalopram#94,683concordant#94,701calmodulin#94,646crosscheck#94,725

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list