clump

/klʌmp/

//klʌmp// noun

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

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

The verdict

“clump” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #31,110. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#31,110
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A cluster or lump; an unshaped piece or mass.

Corpus desk

Index EN-clump · clump · English

clump · rank #31,110 · 8 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #31,110
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH cleft

Nearest frequency peer: cleft (-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 “clump”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “clump” 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).

clump vs cup
60% similar
clump vs cum
60% similar
clump vs coup
60% similar

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

Key facts for clump
PropertyValue
Headwordclump
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/klʌmp/
Letters5
Frequency rank#31,110
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “clump”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).clumplands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “cleft” (#31,109), “cleanest” (#31,108), “CMOS” (#31,112). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “clump” is #31,110. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around clump (IPA /klʌmp/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #31,110 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for clump, with forms such as "cclump", "cllump", and "clmup". 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, "cup", "cum", "coup", 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 clompe, from Old English clymppe, a variant of clympre (“a lump or mass of metal”), from Proto-Germanic *klumpô (“mass, lump, clump; clasp”), from Proto-Indo-European *glembʰ- (“lump, clamp”). Alternatively, possibly from Middle Dutch cl… The correct English form is clump, spelled C-L-U-M-P.

Definition

  1. 1
    A cluster or lump; an unshaped piece or mass.
  2. 2
    A thick group or bunch, especially of bushes or hair.
  3. 3
    A dull thud.
  4. 4
    The compressed clay of coal strata.
  5. 5
    A small group of trees or plants.
  6. 6
    A thick addition to the sole of a shoe.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. clump of trees
  2. She [Miss Climpson] asks questions which a young man could not put without a blush. She is the angel that rushes in where fools get a clump on the head.

Etymology

From Middle English clompe, from Old English clymppe, a variant of clympre (“a lump or mass of metal”), from Proto-Germanic *klumpô (“mass, lump, clump; clasp”), from Proto-Indo-European *glembʰ- (“lump, clamp”). Alternatively, possibly from Middle Dutch clompe or Middle Low German klumpe (compare German Klumpen). Doublet of klomp. Cognates include Danish klump (probably from Low German as well). Compare Norwegian Bokmål klump.

This word in other languages

grumo(Español)amas(Français)Klumpen(Deutsch)agrupamento(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • cclump
  • cllump
  • clmup
  • clummp
  • clumpp
  • clupm
  • culmp
  • lcump

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of clump - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

cclump1cllump1clmup2clummp1clumpp1clupm2culmp2lcump2
Edit distance from "clump"

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 "clump"?
"clump" is spelled C-L-U-M-P. The IPA pronunciation is /klʌmp/.
What does "clump" mean?
As a noun, "clump" means: A cluster or lump; an unshaped piece or mass.
What words are commonly confused with "clump"?
"clump" is commonly confused with "cup", "cum", "coup". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "clump"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "clump" is /klʌmp/. 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 "clump"?
From Middle English clompe, from Old English clymppe, a variant of clympre (“a lump or mass of metal”), from Proto-Germanic *klumpô (“mass, lump, clump; clasp”), from Proto-Indo-European *glembʰ- (“lump, clamp”). Alternatively, possibly from Middl... 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 "clump", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

cleft#31,109chewy#31,105deuce#31,135Bevan#31,080

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

Dickie8 variantsearner8 variantseraser8 variantsalkali8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list