clique

/kliːk/

//kliːk// noun

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

"clique" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“clique” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #23,784. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#23,784
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
6
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A small, exclusive group of individuals, usually according to lifestyle or social status; a cabal.

Corpus desk

Index EN-clique · clique · English

clique · rank #23,784 · 8 variants · 6 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #23,784
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 6 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH circumvent

Nearest frequency peer: circumvent (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “clique”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “clique” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

clique vs clue
67% similar
clique vs Clive
50% similar
clique vs cheque
67% similar

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

Key facts for clique
PropertyValue
Headwordclique
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/kliːk/
Letters6
Frequency rank#23,784
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs6
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “clique”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).cliquelands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “circumvent” (#23,783), “Coe” (#23,785), “CID” (#23,782). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “clique” is #23,784. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around clique (IPA /kliːk/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #23,784 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for clique, with forms such as "cclique", "cilque", and "cliqeu". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 6 confusable-pair relationships, "clue", "Clive", "cheque", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from French clique, ultimately of imitative origin. Influenced by "claque", though this may have happened in French rather than in English. The correct English form is clique, spelled C-L-I-Q-U-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A small, exclusive group of individuals, usually according to lifestyle or social status; a cabal.
  2. 2
    A subgraph isomorphic to a complete graph.
  3. 3
    A group of related web sites that link to each other, like a webring but with exclusive membership determined by the clique owner.
  4. 4
    A shortened form of the Skeleton Clique, the fan base of the Twenty One Pilots.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. This school used to be really friendly, but now everyone keeps to their own cliques.
  2. There had been talk of some disagreement about a picture, but in Sir Maxwell's experience, artists frequently disagreed about pictures, with no more consequences than a little cold-shouldering or the formation of a clique.

Etymology

Borrowed from French clique, ultimately of imitative origin. Influenced by "claque", though this may have happened in French rather than in English.

Synonyms

coterieinner circlecamp

Antonyms

independent set

This word in other languages

pandilla(Español)clique(Français)Clique(Deutsch)panelinha(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • cclique
  • cilque
  • cliqeu
  • cliqque
  • cliuqe
  • cllique
  • clqiue
  • lcique

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of clique - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

cclique1cilque2cliqeu2cliqque1cliuqe2cllique1clqiue2lcique2
Edit distance from "clique"

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 "clique"?
"clique" is spelled C-L-I-Q-U-E. The IPA pronunciation is /kliːk/.
What does "clique" mean?
As a noun, "clique" means: A small, exclusive group of individuals, usually according to lifestyle or social status; a cabal.
What words are commonly confused with "clique"?
"clique" is commonly confused with "clue", "Clive", "cheque". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "clique"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "clique" is /kliːk/. 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 "clique"?
Borrowed from French clique, ultimately of imitative origin. Influenced by "claque", though this may have happened in French rather than in English. 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 "clique", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

caviar#23,777caveat#23,776cranky#23,793buyout#23,770

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

Chong8 variantscorolla8 variantscrept8 variantscults8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list