# climax

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈklaɪ.mæks/ · frequency rank #12,941

## Definitions
1. A rhetorical device in which a series is arranged in ascending order.
2. An instance of such an ascending series.
3. The culmination of a narrative's rising action, the turning point.
4. A culmination or acme: the last term in an ascending series, particularly
5. A culmination or acme: the last term in an ascending series
6. A culmination or acme: the last term in an ascending series
7. A culmination or acme: the last term in an ascending series

## Etymology
From Latin clīmax, from Ancient Greek κλῖμαξ (klîmax, “ladder, staircase, [rhetorical] climax”), from κλίνω (klínō, “I lean, slant”).

## Easily confused with
- **climb** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/climax-vs-climb)
- **climbs** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/climax-vs-climbs)
- **climate** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/climate-vs-climax)

## Common misspellings (9)
`cclimax`, `cilmax`, `cliamx`, `climaxx`, `climmax`, `climxa`, `cllimax`, `clmiax`, `lcimax`

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