close
/ˈkləʊz/verb, noun, adjective, adverb
close is spelled C-L-O-S-E: 5 letters and one syllable. It appears 229 times per million words in written English, the 437th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, close means “To move a thing, or part of a thing, nearer to another so that the gap or opening between the two is removed” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in close?
| Letters | 5: C-L-O-S-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 |
| In writing | 229 times per million words; the 437th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Pairs people search | |
| Sounds like | |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is close?
Close appears 229 times per million words in written English, the 437th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce close?
- UK /ˈkləʊz/
- UK [ˈkʰl̥əʊ̯z]
- UK /ˈklɵʊ̯z/
As an adjective (“At little distance; near in space or time”): /kləʊs/, /kloʊs/.
Close has one syllable.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-close-verb.ogg, En-uk-close.ogg, En-us-close-adj.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with close
Word pairs people search, with the monthly searches for “a vs b” (G: Google, B: Bing, United States).
Sounds like: clothes, cloze (Wiktionary's homophone list; some hold only in some accents).
Also written: close but no cigar.
Sources: Google and Bing searches (September 2025 to August 2026, through DataForSEO); English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with close?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as close (/əʊz/).
Spelled with the same letters in another order: socle.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of close
- closes present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- closing participle, present
- closed participle, past, singular, he/she/it, plural
- closer comparative
- closest superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does close mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To move a thing, or part of a thing, nearer to another so that the gap or opening between the two is removed.
Close the door behind you when you leave.
- 2
To obstruct or block.
They closed the road for the festival.
- 3
To become denser or more crowded with objects.
As we penetrated further, the forest closed around us.
- 4
To make or become unreceptive.
He has closed his mind to new ideas.
- 5
To move to a position preventing fluid from flowing.
- 6
To move to a position allowing electricity to flow.
- 7
To grapple; to engage in close combat.
- 8
To angle (a club, bat or other hitting implement) downwards and/or (for a right-hander) anticlockwise of straight.
noun
- 1
An end or conclusion.
We owe them our thanks for bringing the project to a successful close.
- 2
The manner of shutting; the union of parts; junction.
- 3
The point at the end of a sales pitch when the consumer is asked to buy.
- 4
A grapple in wrestling.
- 5
The conclusion of a strain of music; cadence.
- 6
A double bar marking the end.
- 7
The time when check-in staff will no longer accept passengers for a flight.
- 8
UKA street that ends in a dead end.
- 9
Private fenced land, such as a paddock, orchard or yard, that, along with the common pasture land and woodland, constituted the inarable component of the open-field system of the medieval manor in England.
- 10
archaicAn enclosed field, especially a field enclosed around a (usually religious) building (e.g. a cathedral close).
- 11
ScotlandA very narrow alley between two buildings, often overhung by one of the buildings above the ground floor.
- 12
ScotlandThe common staircase in a tenement.
- 13
The interest which one may have in a piece of ground, even though it is not enclosed.
adjective
- 1
At little distance; near in space or time.
Is your house close?
- 2
Almost, but not quite (getting to an answer, goal, or other state); near.
No, but you were close.
- 3
Almost resulting in disaster.
Phew! That was close!
- 4
Nearly equal; almost evenly balanced; almost exactly matching.
Their ages are quite close.
- 5
Adhering strictly to a standard or original; exact or nearly so.
a close translation; a close copy
- 6
Intimate or immediate in personal relationship.
He is a close friend.
- 7
Involving a tight connection; involving frequent communication, shared or cooperative activity, etc.
We have a close affiliation with the college.
- 8
Nearing orgasm.
adverb
- 1
So as to leave or create little distance or space between objects.
The car behind was following too close and could not brake in time.
- 2
Carefully, in detail.
Look close at the pictures.
- 3
In combination (sometimes potentially ambiguous between adverb and adjective).
close-packed, close-knit, close-fitting
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate close?
Wiktionary records one abbreviation of close: Clo.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Close in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | fermer , boucher, clore , fin, conclusion, achèvement |
| German | schließen, zumachen , verkleinern , nah , schwül, drückend |
| Portuguese | fechar, cerrar , conclusão, fechamento , encerrar, concluir |
| Spanish | cerrar, correr , fin , achicar, acercarse, acortar |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.