cliché
cli·ché/kliˈʃeɪ/noun, adjective, verb
cliché is spelled C-L-I-C-H-É: 6 letters and 2 syllables (cli·ché). It appears 1.5 times per million words in written English, the 22,651st most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, cliché means “Something, most often a phrase or expression, that is overused or used outside its original context, so that its original impact and meaning are…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of cliché is clichés or cliches.
How many letters and syllables are in cliché?
| Letters | 6: C-L-I-C-H-É |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: cli·ché |
| In writing | 1.5 times per million words; the 22,651st most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Pairs people search | |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is cliché?
Cliché appears 1.5 times per million words in written English, the 22,651st 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 cliché?
- UK /ˈkliː.ʃeɪ/
- US /kliˈʃeɪ/
Cliché has 2 syllables, split cli·ché in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-cliché.ogg, En-us-cliche.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with cliché
Word pairs people search, with the monthly searches for “a vs b” (G: Google, B: Bing, United States).
Sources: Google and Bing searches (September 2025 to August 2026, through DataForSEO); English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with cliché?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as cliché from its last stressed vowel (/eɪ/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of cliché
- clichés plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- cliche
- more cliché comparative
- most cliché superlative
- clichéing participle, present
- clichéd participle, past
- clichéed participle, past, rare
- cliches plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- clicheing participle, present
- cliched participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does cliché mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Something, most often a phrase or expression, that is overused or used outside its original context, so that its original impact and meaning are lost. A trite saying; a platitude.
The villain kidnapping the love interest is a bit of a cliché.
- 2
A stereotype (printing plate).
adjective
- 1
proscribedClichéd; having the characteristics of a cliché.
verb
- 1
To use a cliché; to make up a word or a name that sounds like a cliché.
noun
- 1
Alternative form of cliché.
verb
- 1
Alternative form of cliché.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Cliché in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | cliché, poncif, lieu commun , platitude |
| German | Klischee, Gemeinplatz, Stereotyp, Banalität, Abgedroschenheit, Plattheit |
| Portuguese | clichê, lugar-comum, chavão, platitude |
| Spanish | cliché, clisé, tópico |
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 cliché come from?
Unadapted borrowing from French cliché.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).