climber

/ˈklaɪmə/

//ˈklaɪmə// noun

"climber" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“climber” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #23,206 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#23,206
frequency rank, English
7
letters
11
tracked misspellings
8
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Someone or something that climbs (such as a mountain climber).

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

climber vs climbs
71% similar
climber vs clipper
71% similar
climber vs climb
71% similar

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

Key facts for climber
PropertyValue
Headwordclimber
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈklaɪmə/
Letters7
Frequency rank#23,206
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs8
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “climber” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). climber lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for climber is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈklaɪmə/. Corpus data places it at rank #23,206 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 7 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for climber, with forms such as "cclimber", "cilmber", and "clibmer". 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 8 confusable-pair relationships, "climbs", "clipper", "climb", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English climber, clymber, clymbare (“one who climbs, climber”), from climben (“to climb; to ascend, fly upward, rise; to slope upwards; to approach God in prayer; to advance; to overcome, triumph; to aspire; to be presumptuous”) + -er, -ere (suf… The correct English form is climber, spelled C-L-I-M-B-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Someone or something that climbs (such as a mountain climber).
  2. 2
    Someone or something that climbs (such as a mountain climber).
  3. 3
    Someone or something that climbs (such as a mountain climber).
  4. 4
    Someone or something that climbs (such as a mountain climber).
  5. 5
    Someone or something that climbs (such as a mountain climber).
  6. 6
    Something that is used for climbing.
  7. 7
    Something that is used for climbing.

Etymology

From Middle English climber, clymber, clymbare (“one who climbs, climber”), from climben (“to climb; to ascend, fly upward, rise; to slope upwards; to approach God in prayer; to advance; to overcome, triumph; to aspire; to be presumptuous”) + -er, -ere (suffix forming agent nouns). The English word is analysable as climb (verb) + -er (suffix forming agent nouns).

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: cclimber,cilmber,clibmer,climbber,climberr,climbre,climebr,climmber,cllimber,clmiber,lcimber

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of climber - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

cclimber1cilmber2clibmer2climbber1climberr1climbre2climebr2climmber1
Edit distance from "climber"

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 "climber"?
"climber" is spelled C-L-I-M-B-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈklaɪmə/.
What does "climber" mean?
As a noun, "climber" means: Someone or something that climbs (such as a mountain climber).
What words are commonly confused with "climber"?
"climber" is commonly confused with "climbs", "clipper", "climb". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "climber"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "climber" is /ˈklaɪmə/. 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 "climber"?
From Middle English climber, clymber, clymbare (“one who climbs, climber”), from climben (“to climb; to ascend, fly upward, rise; to slope upwards; to approach God in prayer; to advance; to overcome, triumph; to aspire; to be presumptuous”) + -er,... 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.

Using “climber”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is C-L-I-M-B-E-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈklaɪmə/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “climbs” - see the side-by-side comparison. climber vs climbs
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list