clumsy
/ˈklʌmzi/adjective, noun
clumsy is spelled C-L-U-M-S-Y: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 2.8 times per million words in written English, the 16,228th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, clumsy means “Awkward, lacking coordination, not graceful, not dextrous” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in clumsy?
| Letters | 6: C-L-U-M-S-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 2.8 times per million words; the 16,228th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is clumsy?
Clumsy appears 2.8 times per million words in written English, the 16,228th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce clumsy?
- US /ˈklʌmzi/
Clumsy has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-clumsy.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with clumsy?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as clumsy (/ʌmzi/).
Spelled with the same letters in another order: muscly.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of clumsy
- clumsier comparative
- clumsiest superlative
- clumsies plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does clumsy mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Awkward, lacking coordination, not graceful, not dextrous.
He's very clumsy. I wouldn't trust him with carrying the dishes.
- 2
Not elegant or well-planned, lacking tact or subtlety.
It is a clumsy solution, but it might work for now.
- 3
Awkward or inefficient in use or construction, difficult to handle or manage especially because of shape.
noun
- 1
informalA clumsy person.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Clumsy in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | empoté, gauche, lourd, maladroit |
| German | tollpatschig, ungeschickt, unbeholfen, schwerfällig, plump, klobig |
| Portuguese | desajeitado, atrapalhado, desastrado, despassarado , desgracioso |
| Spanish | patoso, torpe, desmañado, bruto, taba, manazas |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does clumsy come from?
Possibly from an alteration of clumsed (“benumbed”) or from clumse (“a stupid fellow; lout”) + -y. More at clumse.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).