close down

/kləʊzˈdaʊn/

//kləʊzˈdaʊn// verb

"close-down" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“close down” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
10
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To stop trading as a business.

Corpus desk

Index EN-close-down · close down · English

close down · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "C" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for close down
PropertyValue
Headwordclose down
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/kləʊzˈdaʊn/
Letters10
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “close down” in English

close downfalls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

close down is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as averb, transcribed /kləʊzˈdaʊn/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

close down doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct English form is close down, spelled C-L-O-S-E- -D-O-W-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    To stop trading as a business.
  2. 2
    To surround someone, as to impede their movement.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The local factory will close down soon, unless sales pick up.
  2. They had to close the mine down as it was in a dangerous condition.

This word in other languages

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "close down"?
"close down" is spelled C-L-O-S-E- -D-O-W-N. The IPA pronunciation is /kləʊzˈdaʊn/.
What does "close down" mean?
As a verb, "close down" means: To stop trading as a business.
How do you pronounce "close down"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "close down" is /kləʊzˈdaʊn/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "close down" come from?
"close down" is a English word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list