clinker

/ˈklɪŋkə(ɹ)/

//ˈklɪŋkə(ɹ)// noun

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

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

The verdict

“clinker” is uncommon English (frequency #58,600 among 5,599 “C” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#58,600
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A very hard brick used for paving customarily made in the Netherlands.

Corpus desk

Index EN-clinker · clinker · English

clinker · rank #58,600 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #58,600
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH clift

Nearest frequency peer: clift (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “clinker”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “clinker” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for clinker
PropertyValue
Headwordclinker
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈklɪŋkə(ɹ)/
Letters7
Frequency rank#58,600
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “clinker” in English

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

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “clift” (#58,599), “cloakroom” (#58,601), “clotted” (#58,602). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “clinker” is #58,600. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

clinker is uncommon English at frequency #58,600 among 5,599 “C” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈklɪŋkə(ɹ)/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 6 senses are on record.

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. 1
    A very hard brick used for paving customarily made in the Netherlands.
  2. 2
    A mass of bricks fused together by intense heat.
  3. 3
    Slag or ash produced by intense heat in a furnace, kiln or boiler that forms a hard residue upon cooling.
  4. 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. 5
    Hardened volcanic lava.
  6. 6
    A scum of oxide of iron formed in forging.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. She left the road at the little shed where he whom she still regarded as her father used to keep his tricycle, and walked up the clinker path towards the house.
  2. The coal was terrible stuff—Indian, Abdul told me. The "dart" was used often and I saw some monster clinkers.

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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "clinker", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

clotted#58,602civilly#58,595Columba#58,609Catawba#58,588

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list