clue

/kluː/

//kluː// noun

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

"clue" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“clue” has 5 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #5,306. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#5,306
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A strand of yarn etc. as used to guide one through a labyrinth; something which points the way, a guide.

Corpus desk

Index EN-clue · clue · English

clue · rank #5,306 · 5 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #5,306
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 5 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH classification

Nearest frequency peer: classification (-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 “clue”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “clue” 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).

clue vs CU
0% similar
clue vs cut
50% similar
clue vs cup
50% similar

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

Key facts for clue
PropertyValue
Headwordclue
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/kluː/
Letters4
Frequency rank#5,306
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “clue”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).cluelands 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 “classification” (#5,305), “Codes” (#5,307), “chill” (#5,304). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “clue” is #5,306. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 5 spelling variants around clue (IPA /kluː/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #5,306 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for clue, with forms such as "cclue", "cleu", and "cllue". 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, "CU", "cut", "cup", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Variant of clew (“a ball of thread or yarn”), from Middle English clewe, from Old English clīewen (“ball”), from Proto-West Germanic *kliuwīn, from Proto-Germanic *kliuwīną, *klewô (“ball, bale”), from Proto-Indo-European *glew- (“to amass, conglomerate; cl… The correct English form is clue, spelled C-L-U-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A strand of yarn etc. as used to guide one through a labyrinth; something which points the way, a guide.
  2. 2
    Information which may lead one to a certain point or conclusion.
  3. 3
    An object or a kind of indication which may be used as evidence.
  4. 4
    Insight or understanding ("to have a clue [about]" or "to have clue". See have a clue, clue stick)
  5. 5
    The text that indicates an answer in a crossword puzzle.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. she had even had in the past a small smug conviction that in the domestic labyrinth she always kept the clue.
  2. Give me a clue because the question is too vague.

Etymology

Variant of clew (“a ball of thread or yarn”), from Middle English clewe, from Old English clīewen (“ball”), from Proto-West Germanic *kliuwīn, from Proto-Germanic *kliuwīną, *klewô (“ball, bale”), from Proto-Indo-European *glew- (“to amass, conglomerate; clump, ball, bale”). Sense evolution with reference to the one which the mythical Theseus used to guide him out of the Minotaur's labyrinth. More at clew.

Synonyms

hintindicationsuggestionsignatureidea

This word in other languages

pista(Español)indice(Français)Hinweis(Deutsch)indício(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • cclue
  • cleu
  • cllue
  • cule
  • lcue

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

cclue1cleu2cllue1cule2lcue2
Edit distance from "clue"

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 "clue"?
"clue" is spelled C-L-U-E. The IPA pronunciation is /kluː/.
What does "clue" mean?
As a noun, "clue" means: A strand of yarn etc. as used to guide one through a labyrinth; something which points the way, a guide.
What words are commonly confused with "clue"?
"clue" is commonly confused with "CU", "cut", "cup". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "clue"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "clue" is /kluː/. 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 "clue"?
Variant of clew (“a ball of thread or yarn”), from Middle English clewe, from Old English clīewen (“ball”), from Proto-West Germanic *kliuwīn, from Proto-Germanic *kliuwīną, *klewô (“ball, bale”), from Proto-Indo-European *glew- (“to amass, conglo... 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 "clue", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

cole#5,308bits#5,299bias#5,297bare#5,293

Similar misspelling depth

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

taxi5 variantsSony5 variantssoap5 variantsacres5 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list