cleverest

/ˈklɛvɚɪst/

//ˈklɛvɚɪst// adj

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

The verdict

“cleverest” is uncommon English (frequency #59,964 among 5,599 “C” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#59,964
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - superlative form of clever: most clever

Corpus desk

Index EN-cleverest · cleverest · English

cleverest · rank #59,964 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #59,964
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH Clerkenwell

Nearest frequency peer: Clerkenwell (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “cleverest”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for cleverest
PropertyValue
Headwordcleverest
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈklɛvɚɪst/
Letters9
Frequency rank#59,964
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “cleverest” 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).cleverestfalls in this rarity band:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “Clerkenwell” (#59,963), “clonal” (#59,965), “codify” (#59,967). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “cleverest” is #59,964. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

cleverest is uncommon English at frequency #59,964 among 5,599 “C” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˈklɛvɚɪst/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "superlative form of clever: most clever".

No generated misspelling entries exist for cleverest in our index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct English form is cleverest, spelled C-L-E-V-E-R-E-S-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    superlative form of clever: most clever

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. It is, perhaps, the most brilliant of all the Westinghouse inventions, and is indisputably one of the cleverest devices ever produced by the human brain.

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 "cleverest"?
"cleverest" is spelled C-L-E-V-E-R-E-S-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈklɛvɚɪst/.
What does "cleverest" mean?
As an adjective, "cleverest" means: superlative form of clever: most clever
How do you pronounce "cleverest"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "cleverest" is /ˈklɛvɚɪst/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "cleverest" come from?
"cleverest" is a English word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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 "cleverest", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list