clerical
/ˈklɛɹɪkəl/adjective, noun
clerical is spelled C-L-E-R-I-C-A-L: 8 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 2.2 times per million words in written English, the 18,297th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, clerical means “Of or relating to clerks or their work” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in clerical?
| Letters | 8: C-L-E-R-I-C-A-L |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 2.2 times per million words; the 18,297th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is clerical?
Clerical appears 2.2 times per million words in written English, the 18,297th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce clerical?
- UK /ˈklɛɹɪkəl/
Clerical has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-clerical.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of clerical
- clericals plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does clerical mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Of or relating to clerks or their work.
- 2
Of or relating to the clergy.
noun
- 1
A member of the clergy.
- 2
informalClerical garments.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Clerical in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | administratif , clérical |
| German | klerikal, geistlich, priesterlich |
| Portuguese | clerical |
| Spanish | clerical |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does clerical come from?
From Late Latin clēricālis (“clerical”), from clēricus (“clergyman, priest”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).