# clever

> English word · Adjective · IPA /ˈklɛv.ə/ · frequency rank #5,014

## Definitions
1. Nimble with hands or body; dexterous; skillful; adept.
2. Quick to understand, learn, and devise or apply ideas; intelligent.
3. Mentally quick and resourceful; skilled at achieving what one wants in a mentally agile and inventive way.
4. Smart, intelligent, or witty; mentally quick or sharp.
5. Sane; in one's right mind.
6. Showing mental quickness and resourcefulness.
7. Showing inventiveness or originality; witty.
8. Fit and healthy; free from fatigue or illness.
9. Good-natured; obliging.
10. Possessing magical abilities.
11. Fit; suitable; having propriety.
12. Well-shaped; handsome.

## Etymology
From East Anglian dialectal English cliver (“expert at seizing”), from Middle English cliver (“tenacious”).
* perhaps from Old English *clifer, clibbor (“clinging”);
* or perhaps from Dutch, Low German, or East/Saterland Frisian (compare kluftich (“clever, prudent”), probably derived from Proto-West Germanic *kleuban (“to cleave, split”));
* or dialectal Norwegian klover (“ready, skillful”), itself borrowed from Middle Low German klever, related to kleven (“to stick”), from Old Saxon klibōn, from Proto-West Germanic *klibēn, related to the Old English word above;
* possibly influenced by Old English clifer (“claw, hand”) (compare clawian (“to claw”)).
Related to cleave. Perhaps influenced by Welsh celfydd (“talented, dexterous, expert”).

## Easily confused with
- **cover** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/clever-vs-cover)
- **Clive** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/clever-vs-clive)
- **clove** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/clever-vs-clove)
- **closer** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/clever-vs-closer)
- **clover** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/clever-vs-clover)
- **cloves** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/clever-vs-cloves)
- **culver** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/clever-vs-culver)
- **cleverly** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/clever-vs-cleverly)
- **clear** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/clear-vs-clever)
- **cheer** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cheer-vs-clever)
- **cleve** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cleve-vs-clever)
- **carver** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/carver-vs-clever)
- **cleave** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cleave-vs-clever)
- **cleaner** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cleaner-vs-clever)
- **clearer** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/clearer-vs-clever)
- **cleaver** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cleaver-vs-clever)
- **cleaved** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cleaved-vs-clever)

## Common misspellings (9)
`cclever`, `celver`, `cleevr`, `cleverr`, `clevre`, `clevver`, `cllever`, `clveer`, `lcever`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/clever