clout

/klaʊt/

//klaʊt// noun

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

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

The verdict

“clout” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #21,471. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#21,471
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Influence or effectiveness, especially political.

Corpus desk

Index EN-clout · clout · English

clout · rank #21,471 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #21,471
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH cloning

Nearest frequency peer: cloning (-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 “clout”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “clout” 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).

clout vs cut
60% similar
clout vs cot
60% similar
clout vs cost
60% similar

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

Key facts for clout
PropertyValue
Headwordclout
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/klaʊt/
Letters5
Frequency rank#21,471
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “clout”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).cloutlands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “cloning” (#21,470), “Cochran” (#21,472), “Clegg” (#21,469). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “clout” is #21,471. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around clout (IPA /klaʊt/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #21,471 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 9 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for clout, with forms such as "cclout", "cllout", and "clotu". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "cut", "cot", "cost", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English clout (“piece of cloth”), from Old English clūt (“piece of cloth, patch; metal plate”), from Proto-West Germanic *klūt, from Proto-Germanic *klūtaz, from Proto-Indo-European *gelewdos, from Proto-Indo-European *gel- (“to ball up, amass”)… The correct English form is clout, spelled C-L-O-U-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Influence or effectiveness, especially political.
  2. 2
    A blow with the hand.
  3. 3
    A home run.
  4. 4
    The center of the butt at which archers shoot; probably once a piece of white cloth or a nail head.
  5. 5
    A swaddling cloth.
  6. 6
    A cloth; a piece of cloth or leather; a patch; a rag.
  7. 7
    An iron plate on an axletree or other wood to keep it from wearing; a washer.
  8. 8
    A clout nail.
  9. 9
    A piece; a fragment.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Having relinquished his clout in City Council to run for a place on the county board, and having lost stature by reason of his failure to win the presidency, Duffy was in no position to seek the party chairmanship for himself
  2. […]ethics officers themselves often complain that they can recommend but have little clout with which to create real change.

Etymology

From Middle English clout (“piece of cloth”), from Old English clūt (“piece of cloth, patch; metal plate”), from Proto-West Germanic *klūt, from Proto-Germanic *klūtaz, from Proto-Indo-European *gelewdos, from Proto-Indo-European *gel- (“to ball up, amass”). The influence sense originated in the dialect of Chicago, but has become widespread. Cognate with Old Norse klútr (“kerchief”), Swedish klut, Danish klud, Middle High German klōz (“lump”), whence German Kloß (“clump”), and dialectal Russian глуда (gluda). See also cleat.

This word in other languages

influencia(Español)influence(Français)Einfluss(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • cclout
  • cllout
  • clotu
  • cloutt
  • cluot
  • colut
  • lcout

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

cclout1cllout1clotu2cloutt1cluot2colut2lcout2
Edit distance from "clout"

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 "clout"?
"clout" is spelled C-L-O-U-T. The IPA pronunciation is /klaʊt/.
What does "clout" mean?
As a noun, "clout" means: Influence or effectiveness, especially political.
What words are commonly confused with "clout"?
"clout" is commonly confused with "cut", "cot", "cost". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "clout"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "clout" is /klaʊt/. 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 "clout"?
From Middle English clout (“piece of cloth”), from Old English clūt (“piece of cloth, patch; metal plate”), from Proto-West Germanic *klūt, from Proto-Germanic *klūtaz, from Proto-Indo-European *gelewdos, from Proto-Indo-European *gel- (“to ball u... 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 "clout", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Clegg#21,469corny#21,478budge#21,462Darth#21,485

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

droid7 variantsfakes7 variantsgated7 variantsWallis7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list