cloister

/ˈklɔɪstə/

//ˈklɔɪstə// noun

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

"cloister" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“cloister” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #39,248. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#39,248
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A covered walk with an open colonnade on one side, running along the walls of buildings that surround a quadrangle; especially:

Corpus desk

Index EN-cloister · cloister · English

cloister · rank #39,248 · 12 variants · 4 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #39,248
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 4 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH claret

Nearest frequency peer: claret (-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 “cloister”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “cloister” 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).

cloister vs closer
75% similar
cloister vs cluster
75% similar
cloister vs coaster
75% similar

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

Key facts for cloister
PropertyValue
Headwordcloister
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈklɔɪstə/
Letters8
Frequency rank#39,248
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “cloister”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).cloisterlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “claret” (#39,247), “clothe” (#39,249), “chroma” (#39,246). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “cloister” is #39,248. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around cloister (IPA /ˈklɔɪstə/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #39,248 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for cloister, with forms such as "ccloister", "clioster", and "clloister". 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 4 confusable-pair relationships, "closer", "cluster", "coaster", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Recorded since about 1300 as Middle English cloistre, borrowed from Old French cloistre, clostre, or via Old English clauster, both from Medieval Latin claustrum (“portion of monastery closed off to laity”), from Latin claustrum (“place shut in, bar, bolt, … The correct English form is cloister, spelled C-L-O-I-S-T-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    A covered walk with an open colonnade on one side, running along the walls of buildings that surround a quadrangle; especially:
  2. 2
    A covered walk with an open colonnade on one side, running along the walls of buildings that surround a quadrangle; especially:
  3. 3
    A place, especially a monastery or convent, devoted to religious seclusion.
  4. 4
    The monastic life.

Etymology

Recorded since about 1300 as Middle English cloistre, borrowed from Old French cloistre, clostre, or via Old English clauster, both from Medieval Latin claustrum (“portion of monastery closed off to laity”), from Latin claustrum (“place shut in, bar, bolt, enclosure”), a derivation of the past participle of claudere (“to close”). Doublet of claustrum.

This word in other languages

claustro(Español)cloître(Français)Kreuzgang(Deutsch)claustro(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ccloister
  • clioster
  • clloister
  • cloisetr
  • cloisster
  • cloisterr
  • cloistre
  • cloistter
  • cloitser
  • clositer
  • colister
  • lcoister

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ccloister1clioster2clloister1cloisetr2cloisster1cloisterr1cloistre2cloistter1
Edit distance from "cloister"

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 "cloister"?
"cloister" is spelled C-L-O-I-S-T-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈklɔɪstə/.
What does "cloister" mean?
As a noun, "cloister" means: A covered walk with an open colonnade on one side, running along the walls of buildings that surround a quadrangle; especially:
What words are commonly confused with "cloister"?
"cloister" is commonly confused with "closer", "cluster", "coaster". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "cloister"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "cloister" is /ˈklɔɪstə/. 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 "cloister"?
Recorded since about 1300 as Middle English cloistre, borrowed from Old French cloistre, clostre, or via Old English clauster, both from Medieval Latin claustrum (“portion of monastery closed off to laity”), from Latin claustrum (“place shut in, b... 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 "cloister", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

clutched#39,250cochlear#39,251Canaries#39,233crunches#39,265

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

bulkhead12 variantscymbals12 variantsbrainless12 variantsbareback12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list