close

/kləʊz/

//kləʊz// verb

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

"close" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“close” is in the everyday core of English, ranked #431 in English word frequency and used as a verb.

#431
frequency rank, English
5
letters
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To remove or block an opening, gap or passage through.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

close vs cos
60% similar
close vs Coe
40% similar
close vs CSE
0% similar

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

Key facts for close
PropertyValue
Headwordclose
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/kləʊz/
Letters5
Frequency rank#431
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “close” 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). close 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 close is 5 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /kləʊz/. Corpus data places it at rank #431 in overall English word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 22 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for close, with forms such as "cclose", "cllose", and "cloes". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "cos", "Coe", "CSE", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English closen (“to close, enclose”), partly continuing (in altered form) earlier Middle English clusen (“to close”) from Old English clȳsan (“to close, shut”); compare beclose, foreclose, etc.), and partly derived from Middle English clos (“clo… The correct English form is close, spelled C-L-O-S-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To remove or block an opening, gap or passage through.
  2. 2
    To remove or block an opening, gap or passage through.
  3. 3
    To remove or block an opening, gap or passage through.
  4. 4
    To remove or block an opening, gap or passage through.
  5. 5
    To remove or block an opening, gap or passage through.
  6. 6
    To remove or block an opening, gap or passage through.
  7. 7
    To remove or block an opening, gap or passage through.
  8. 8
    To remove or block an opening, gap or passage through.
  9. 9
    To finish.
  10. 10
    To finish.
  11. 11
    To finish.
  12. 12
    To finish.
  13. 13
    To finish.
  14. 14
    To finish.
  15. 15
    To make or become non-operational or unavailable for use.
  16. 16
    To make or become non-operational or unavailable for use.
  17. 17
    To make or become non-operational or unavailable for use.
  18. 18
    To make or become non-operational or unavailable for use.
  19. 19
    To make or become non-operational or unavailable for use.
  20. 20
    To make or become non-operational or unavailable for use.
  21. 21
    To come or gather around; to enclose.
  22. 22
    To have a vector sum of 0; that is, to form a closed polygon.

Etymology

From Middle English closen (“to close, enclose”), partly continuing (in altered form) earlier Middle English clusen (“to close”) from Old English clȳsan (“to close, shut”); compare beclose, foreclose, etc.), and partly derived from Middle English clos (“close, shut up, confined, secret”, adjective), from Old French clos (“close, confined”, adjective), from Latin clausus (“shut up”, past participle), from claudere (“to bar, block, close, enclose, bring an end to, confine”), from Proto-Indo-European *kleh₂w- (“key, hook, nail”), related to Latin clāvis (“key, deadbolt, bar”), clāvus (“nail, peg”), claustrum (“bar, bolt, barrier”), claustra (“dam, wall, barricade, stronghold”). Cognate with Ancient Greek κλείς (kleís, “bar, bolt, key”), German schließen (“to close, conclude, lock”), Dutch sluiten (“to close, conclude, lock”). Partially replaced Old English lūcan (“to close, lock, enclose”), (whence English lock). Doublet of clause.

This word in other languages

cerrar(Español)fermer(Français)schließen(Deutsch)fechar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: cclose,cllose,cloes,closse,clsoe,colse,lcose

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

cclose1cllose1cloes2closse1clsoe2colse2lcose2
Edit distance from "close"

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 "close"?
"close" is spelled C-L-O-S-E. The IPA pronunciation is /kləʊz/.
What does "close" mean?
As a verb, "close" means: To remove or block an opening, gap or passage through.
What words are commonly confused with "close"?
"close" is commonly confused with "cos", "Coe", "CSE". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "close"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "close" is /kləʊz/. 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 "close"?
From Middle English closen (“to close, enclose”), partly continuing (in altered form) earlier Middle English clusen (“to close”) from Old English clȳsan (“to close, shut”); compare beclose, foreclose, etc.), and partly derived from Middle 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.

Using “close”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is C-L-O-S-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /kləʊz/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “cos” - see the side-by-side comparison. close vs cos
  • 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