cluck

/klʌk/

//klʌk// noun

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

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

The verdict

“cluck” is uncommon English (frequency #64,996 among 43,570 “C” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#64,996
frequency rank, English
43,570
“C” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The sound made by a hen, especially when brooding, or calling her chicks.

Key facts for cluck
PropertyValue
Headwordcluck
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/klʌk/
Letters5
Frequency rank#64,996
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “cluck” 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). cluck lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

cluck is uncommon English at frequency #64,996 among 43,570 “C” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /klʌk/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

cluck doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English clokken, clocken, from Old English cloccian (“to cluck, make a noise”), from Proto-West Germanic *klukkwōn, from Proto-Germanic *klukkwōną (“to make a sound, cluck”), of imitative origin. Cognate with Scots clok, clock (“to cluck”), Dutc… The correct English form is cluck, spelled C-L-U-C-K.

Definition

  1. 1
    The sound made by a hen, especially when brooding, or calling her chicks.
  2. 2
    Any sound similar to this.
  3. 3
    A kind of tongue click used to urge on a horse.
  4. 4
    A setting hen.

Etymology

From Middle English clokken, clocken, from Old English cloccian (“to cluck, make a noise”), from Proto-West Germanic *klukkwōn, from Proto-Germanic *klukkwōną (“to make a sound, cluck”), of imitative origin. Cognate with Scots clok, clock (“to cluck”), Dutch klokken (“to cluck”), Low German klucken (“to cluck”), German glucken (“to cluck”), Danish klukke (“to cluck”), Swedish klucka (“to cluck”), Icelandic klökkva (“to sob, whine, cluck”).

This word in other languages

cloqueo(Español)gloussement(Français)Gackern(Deutsch)cacarejo(Português)

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 "cluck"?
"cluck" is spelled C-L-U-C-K. The IPA pronunciation is /klʌk/.
What does "cluck" mean?
As a noun, "cluck" means: The sound made by a hen, especially when brooding, or calling her chicks.
How do you pronounce "cluck"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "cluck" is /klʌk/. 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 "cluck"?
From Middle English clokken, clocken, from Old English cloccian (“to cluck, make a noise”), from Proto-West Germanic *klukkwōn, from Proto-Germanic *klukkwōną (“to make a sound, cluck”), of imitative origin. Cognate with Scots clok, clock (“to clu... 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 “cluck”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is C-L-U-C-K - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /klʌk/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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