clergyman

/ˈklɝd͡ʒimən/

//ˈklɝd͡ʒimən// noun

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

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

The verdict

“clergyman” has 15 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #23,205. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#23,205
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
15
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A male member of a clergy; especially, an ordained (male) Christian minister.

Corpus desk

Index EN-clergyman · clergyman · English

clergyman · rank #23,205 · 15 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #23,205
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 15 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH circulate

Nearest frequency peer: circulate (-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 “clergyman”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “clergyman” 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
Key facts for clergyman
PropertyValue
Headwordclergyman
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈklɝd͡ʒimən/
Letters9
Frequency rank#23,205
Misspellings tracked15
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “clergyman”

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).clergymanlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “circulate” (#23,204), “climber” (#23,206), “circled” (#23,203). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “clergyman” is #23,205. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 15 spelling variants around clergyman (IPA /ˈklɝd͡ʒimən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #23,205 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Dominant gloss: "A male member of a clergy; especially, an ordained (male) Christian minister.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for clergyman, with forms such as "cclergyman", "celrgyman", and "clegryman". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: From clergy + -man. The correct English form is clergyman, spelled C-L-E-R-G-Y-M-A-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    A male member of a clergy; especially, an ordained (male) Christian minister.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Holonym: clergy
  2. I think if post commanders of the unchaplained posts could employ acceptable clergymen […] then the needs might be met.

Etymology

From clergy + -man.

This word in other languages

clérigo(Español)prêtre(Français)Pfarrer(Deutsch)clérigo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • cclergyman
  • celrgyman
  • clegryman
  • clerggyman
  • clergmyan
  • clergyamn
  • clergymann
  • clergymman
  • clergymna
  • clergyyman
  • clerrgyman
  • clerygman
  • cllergyman
  • clregyman
  • lcergyman

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

cclergyman1celrgyman2clegryman2clerggyman1clergmyan2clergyamn2clergymann1clergymman1
Edit distance from "clergyman"

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 "clergyman"?
"clergyman" is spelled C-L-E-R-G-Y-M-A-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈklɝd͡ʒimən/.
What does "clergyman" mean?
As a noun, "clergyman" means: A male member of a clergy; especially, an ordained (male) Christian minister.
What are common misspellings of "clergyman"?
Common misspellings include "cclergyman", "celrgyman", "clegryman", "clerggyman", "clergmyan". The correct spelling is "clergyman".
How do you pronounce "clergyman"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "clergyman" is /ˈklɝd͡ʒimən/. 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 "clergyman"?
From clergy + -man. 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 "clergyman", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

circulate#23,204clutching#23,208chauffeur#23,201concordia#23,214

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (15 here; floor ≥5).

councilman15 variantsundertaker15 variantsunbeatable15 variantsgrapefruit15 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list