clod

/klɒd/

//klɒd// noun

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

"clod" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“clod” is uncommon English (frequency #64,994 among 5,599 “C” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#64,994
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A lump of something, especially earth or clay.

Corpus desk

Index EN-clod · clod · English

clod · rank #64,994 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #64,994
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH clamshell

Nearest frequency peer: clamshell (-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 “clod”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for clod
PropertyValue
Headwordclod
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/klɒd/
Letters4
Frequency rank#64,994
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “clod” 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).clodfalls in this rarity band:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “clamshell” (#64,993), “Clowney” (#64,995), “citrine” (#64,992). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “clod” is #64,994. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

clod is uncommon English at frequency #64,994 among 5,599 “C” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /klɒd/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for clod, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English clod, a late by-form of clot, from Old English clot, from Proto-West Germanic *klott (“mass, ball, clump”). Compare clot and cloud; cognate to kloot (“clod”). Alternatively, Middle English clod may derive from Old English *clod (found in… The correct English form is clod, spelled C-L-O-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    A lump of something, especially earth or clay.
  2. 2
    The ground; the earth; a spot of earth or turf.
  3. 3
    A stupid person, a dolt, a clodpate, a clodhopper.
  4. 4
    Part of a shoulder of beef, or of the neck piece near the shoulder.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. clods of iron and brass
  2. 1600, Edward Fairfax (translator), originally published in 1581 by Torquato Tasso, Jerusalem Delivered clods of blood

Etymology

From Middle English clod, a late by-form of clot, from Old English clot, from Proto-West Germanic *klott (“mass, ball, clump”). Compare clot and cloud; cognate to kloot (“clod”). Alternatively, Middle English clod may derive from Old English *clod (found in Old English clodhamer (“a kind of thrush”) and Clodhangra (a placename)), from Proto-West Germanic *kloddō (“lump, clod”), from *gel- (“to ball up, become lumpy”), related to West Frisian klodde (“clod, lump”), Dutch klodde (“lump, blob”).

This word in other languages

grumo(Español)motte(Français)Klumpen(Deutsch)torrão(Português)

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 "clod"?
"clod" is spelled C-L-O-D. The IPA pronunciation is /klɒd/.
What does "clod" mean?
As a noun, "clod" means: A lump of something, especially earth or clay.
How do you pronounce "clod"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "clod" is /klɒd/. 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 "clod"?
From Middle English clod, a late by-form of clot, from Old English clot, from Proto-West Germanic *klott (“mass, ball, clump”). Compare clot and cloud; cognate to kloot (“clod”). Alternatively, Middle English clod may derive from Old English *clod... 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 "clod", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Cluj#64,997boni#64,941Bodo#64,937birt#64,933

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list