clipper

noun

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

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

The verdict

“clipper” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #26,723 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#26,723
frequency rank, English
7
letters
9
tracked misspellings
12
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Anything or anyone that clips.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

clipper vs copper
71% similar
clipper vs clippers
88% similar
clipper vs cipher
71% similar

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

Key facts for clipper
PropertyValue
Headwordclipper
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters7
Frequency rank#26,723
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs12
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “clipper” 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). clipper 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 clipper is 7 letters long, classified as a noun. Corpus data places it at rank #26,723 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 9 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for clipper, with forms such as "cclipper", "cilpper", and "clipepr". 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 12 confusable-pair relationships, "copper", "clippers", "cipher", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English clipper, equivalent to clip (“cut, shorten”) + -er (suffix forming agent nouns). The type of sailing ship is probably also from clip, in the sense of “move or run rapidly”. Perhaps influenced by Middle Dutch klepper (“swift horse”), from… The correct English form is clipper, spelled C-L-I-P-P-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Anything or anyone that clips.
  2. 2
    A tool used for clipping something, such as hair, coins, or fingernails.
  3. 3
    Something that moves swiftly; especially:
  4. 4
    Something that moves swiftly; especially:
  5. 5
    An Asian butterfly of species Parthenos sylvia, family Nymphalidae.
  6. 6
    A circuit which prevents the amplitude of a wave from exceeding a set value.
  7. 7
    A person who mutilates coins by fraudulently paring the edges.
  8. 8
    A confidence trickster; a conman.
  9. 9
    Anything showy or first-rate.

Etymology

From Middle English clipper, equivalent to clip (“cut, shorten”) + -er (suffix forming agent nouns). The type of sailing ship is probably also from clip, in the sense of “move or run rapidly”. Perhaps influenced by Middle Dutch klepper (“swift horse”), from kleppen (“to clap”), which is onomatopoeic.

This word in other languages

clipper(Français)Klipper(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: cclipper,cilpper,clipepr,cliper,clipperr,clippre,cllipper,clpiper,lcipper

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of clipper - 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.

cclipper1cilpper2clipepr2cliper1clipperr1clippre2cllipper1clpiper2
Edit distance from "clipper"

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 "clipper"?
"clipper" is spelled C-L-I-P-P-E-R.
What does "clipper" mean?
As a noun, "clipper" means: Anything or anyone that clips.
What words are commonly confused with "clipper"?
"clipper" is commonly confused with "copper", "clippers", "cipher". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
What is the origin of the word "clipper"?
From Middle English clipper, equivalent to clip (“cut, shorten”) + -er (suffix forming agent nouns). The type of sailing ship is probably also from clip, in the sense of “move or run rapidly”. Perhaps influenced by Middle Dutch klepper (“swift hor... 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 “clipper”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is C-L-I-P-P-E-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Don't mix it up with “copper” - see the side-by-side comparison. clipper vs copper
  • 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