clumsiness

/ˈklʌm.zi.nəs/

//ˈklʌm.zi.nəs// noun

"clumsiness" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“clumsiness” is uncommon English (frequency #61,378 among 5,599 “C” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#61,378
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A lack of coordination or elegance; the condition or quality of being clumsy.

Corpus desk

Index EN-clumsiness · clumsiness · English

clumsiness · rank #61,378 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #61,378
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH Clydebank

Nearest frequency peer: Clydebank (+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.

Long-tail ranks near “clumsiness”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “clumsiness” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for clumsiness
PropertyValue
Headwordclumsiness
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈklʌm.zi.nəs/
Letters10
Frequency rank#61,378
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “clumsiness” in English

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

#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. Rare peers in the same band: “Clydebank” (#61,379), “cleat” (#61,376), “colander” (#61,381). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “clumsiness” is #61,378. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

clumsiness is uncommon English at frequency #61,378 among 5,599 “C” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈklʌm.zi.nəs/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A lack of coordination or elegance; the condition or quality of being clumsy.".

clumsiness has no tracked misspelling variants, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From clumsy + -ness. The correct English form is clumsiness, spelled C-L-U-M-S-I-N-E-S-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    A lack of coordination or elegance; the condition or quality of being clumsy.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. He dropped them not out of spite, but out of clumsiness.

Etymology

From clumsy + -ness.

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); 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 "clumsiness"?
"clumsiness" is spelled C-L-U-M-S-I-N-E-S-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈklʌm.zi.nəs/.
What does "clumsiness" mean?
As a noun, "clumsiness" means: A lack of coordination or elegance; the condition or quality of being clumsy.
How do you pronounce "clumsiness"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "clumsiness" is /ˈklʌm.zi.nəs/. 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 "clumsiness"?
From clumsy + -ness. 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 "clumsiness", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list