client

/ˈklaɪ.ənt/

//ˈklaɪ.ənt// noun

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

"client" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“client” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #2,780. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#2,780
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
10
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A customer, a buyer or receiver of goods or services.

Corpus desk

Index EN-client · client · English

client · rank #2,780 · 9 variants · 10 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #2,780
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 10 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH checked

Nearest frequency peer: checked (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “client”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “client” 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).

client vs clit
67% similar
client vs Clint
67% similar
client vs cling
67% similar

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

Key facts for client
PropertyValue
Headwordclient
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈklaɪ.ənt/
Letters6
Frequency rank#2,780
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs10
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “client”

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).clientlands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “checked” (#2,779), “constant” (#2,781), “championship” (#2,778). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “client” is #2,780. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around client (IPA /ˈklaɪ.ənt/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #2,780 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for client, with forms such as "cclient", "cilent", and "cleint". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 10 confusable-pair relationships, "clit", "Clint", "cling", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English client, from Anglo-Norman clyent, Old French client, from Latin cliēns, akin to clinare (“to lean”). The correct English form is client, spelled C-L-I-E-N-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    A customer, a buyer or receiver of goods or services.
  2. 2
    The role of a computer application or system that requests and/or consumes the services provided by another having the role of server.
  3. 3
    A person who receives help or services from a professional such as a lawyer or accountant.
  4. 4
    A person who employs or retains an attorney to represent him or her in any legal matter, or one who merely divulges confidential matters to an attorney while pursuing professional assistance without subsequently retaining the attorney.
  5. 5
    In ancient Rome, retainers and followers associated with a gens.
  6. 6
    Ellipsis of client state.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. I corralled the judge, and we started off across the fields[…]. And thus we came by a circuitous route to Mohair,[…]. My client welcomed the judge […] and they disappeared together into the Ethiopian card-room, which was filled with the assegais and exclamation point shields Mr. Cooke had had made at the sawmill at Beaverton.
  2. The nomen belonged to all members of a gens and to all those attached to it (women, clients, and freedmen included).

Etymology

From Middle English client, from Anglo-Norman clyent, Old French client, from Latin cliēns, akin to clinare (“to lean”).

Synonyms

buyercustomerpatronpurchaser

Antonyms

server

This word in other languages

cliente(Español)client(Français)Kunde(Deutsch)cliente(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • cclient
  • cilent
  • cleint
  • cliennt
  • clientt
  • clietn
  • clinet
  • cllient
  • lcient

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of client - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

cclient1cilent2cleint2cliennt1clientt1clietn2clinet2cllient1
Edit distance from "client"

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 "client"?
"client" is spelled C-L-I-E-N-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈklaɪ.ənt/.
What does "client" mean?
As a noun, "client" means: A customer, a buyer or receiver of goods or services.
What words are commonly confused with "client"?
"client" is commonly confused with "clit", "Clint", "cling". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "client"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "client" is /ˈklaɪ.ənt/. 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 "client"?
From Middle English client, from Anglo-Norman clyent, Old French client, from Latin cliēns, akin to clinare (“to lean”). 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 "client", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

driven#2,787empire#2,789surely#2,766linked#2,797

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

widely9 variantsnearby9 variantsdeaths9 variantsdeputy9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list