clerical

/ˈklɛɹɪkəl/

//ˈklɛɹɪkəl// adj

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

"clerical" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“clerical” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #18,269. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#18,269
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Of or relating to clerks or their work.

Corpus desk

Index EN-clerical · clerical · English

clerical · rank #18,269 · 12 variants · 4 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #18,269
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 4 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH Caucasus

Nearest frequency peer: Caucasus (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “clerical”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “clerical” 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).

clerical vs clinical
75% similar
clerical vs cleric
75% similar
clerical vs chemical
75% similar

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

Key facts for clerical
PropertyValue
Headwordclerical
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈklɛɹɪkəl/
Letters8
Frequency rank#18,269
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “clerical”

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).clericallands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “Caucasus” (#18,267), “collage” (#18,271), “catfish” (#18,266). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “clerical” is #18,269. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around clerical (IPA /ˈklɛɹɪkəl/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #18,269 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for clerical, with forms such as "cclerical", "celrical", and "cleircal". 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 4 confusable-pair relationships, "clinical", "cleric", "chemical", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Late Latin clēricālis (“clerical”), from clēricus (“clergyman, priest”). The correct English form is clerical, spelled C-L-E-R-I-C-A-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    Of or relating to clerks or their work.
  2. 2
    Of or relating to the clergy.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. ‘The groans of this sick person,’ he said, ‘distract my attention. And without that it is extremely difficult to guard against clerical errors in this climate.’

Etymology

From Late Latin clēricālis (“clerical”), from clēricus (“clergyman, priest”).

Synonyms

black-collarclericclericalpastoral

Antonyms

laysecular

This word in other languages

clerical(Español)administratif(Français)klerikal(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • cclerical
  • celrical
  • cleircal
  • clercial
  • cleriacl
  • clericall
  • clericcal
  • clericla
  • clerrical
  • cllerical
  • clreical
  • lcerical

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

cclerical1celrical2cleircal2clercial2cleriacl2clericall1clericcal1clericla2
Edit distance from "clerical"

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 "clerical"?
"clerical" is spelled C-L-E-R-I-C-A-L. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈklɛɹɪkəl/.
What does "clerical" mean?
As an adjective, "clerical" means: Of or relating to clerks or their work.
What words are commonly confused with "clerical"?
"clerical" is commonly confused with "clinical", "cleric", "chemical". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "clerical"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "clerical" is /ˈklɛɹɪkəl/. 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 "clerical"?
From Late Latin clēricālis (“clerical”), from clēricus (“clergyman, priest”). 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 "clerical", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Caucasus#18,267breaches#18,257besieged#18,248embraces#18,299

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

Catalonia12 variantsasserting12 variantsappliance12 variantsfiercely12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list