clinker

Name: clinker, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/ˈklɪŋkə(ɹ)/

//ˈklɪŋkə(ɹ)// noun

By PlainSpell Editorial Team · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed May 6, 2026

The verdict

“clinker” is an uncommon English word, ranked #58,600 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#58,600
frequency rank, English: 7
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A very hard brick used for paving customarily made in the Netherlands.

Key facts for clinker
Property	Value
Headword	clinker
Language	English
Part of speech	Noun
IPA	/ˈklɪŋkə(ɹ)/
Letters	7
Frequency rank	#58,600
Misspellings tracked	0
Confusable pairs	0
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “clinker” 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). clinker lands here:

#58,600

#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 clinker is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈklɪŋkə(ɹ)/. Corpus data places it at rank #58,600 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 6 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

clinker doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Dutch klinkaerd, later klinker, from klinken (“to ring, resound”). The correct English form is clinker, spelled C-L-I-N-K-E-R.

Definition

1
A very hard brick used for paving customarily made in the Netherlands.
2
A mass of bricks fused together by intense heat.
3
Slag or ash produced by intense heat in a furnace, kiln or boiler that forms a hard residue upon cooling.
4
An intermediate product in the manufacture of Portland cement, obtained by sintering limestone and alumino-silicate materials such as clay into nodules in a cement kiln.
5
Hardened volcanic lava.
6
A scum of oxide of iron formed in forging.

Etymology

From Dutch klinkaerd, later klinker, from klinken (“to ring, resound”).

This word in other languages

Schlacke(Deutsch)

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 "clinker"?

"clinker" is spelled C-L-I-N-K-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈklɪŋkə(ɹ)/.

What does "clinker" mean?

As a noun, "clinker" means: A very hard brick used for paving customarily made in the Netherlands.

How do you pronounce "clinker"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "clinker" is /ˈklɪŋkə(ɹ)/. 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 "clinker"?

From Dutch klinkaerd, later klinker, from klinken (“to ring, resound”). 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 “clinker”

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

The one correct English spelling is C-L-I-N-K-E-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
Say it as /ˈklɪŋkə(ɹ)/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
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.