clumsy
/ˈklʌmzi/
"clumsy" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“clumsy” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #16,199 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.
- #16,199
- frequency rank, English
- 6
- letters
- 10
- tracked misspellings
- 11
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Awkward, lacking coordination, not graceful, not dextrous.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | clumsy |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /ˈklʌmzi/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Frequency rank | #16,199 |
| Misspellings tracked | 10 |
| Confusable pairs | 11 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “clumsy” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for clumsy is 6 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈklʌmzi/. Corpus data places it at rank #16,199 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for clumsy, with forms such as "cclumsy", "cllumsy", and "clmusy". 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 11 confusable-pair relationships, "cums", "clunky", "crummy", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.
Etymologically, the entry records: Possibly from an alteration of clumsed (“benumbed”) or from clumse (“a stupid fellow; lout”) + -y. More at clumse. The correct English form is clumsy, spelled C-L-U-M-S-Y.
Definition
- 1Awkward, lacking coordination, not graceful, not dextrous.
- 2Not elegant or well-planned, lacking tact or subtlety.
- 3Awkward or inefficient in use or construction, difficult to handle or manage especially because of shape.
Etymology
Possibly from an alteration of clumsed (“benumbed”) or from clumse (“a stupid fellow; lout”) + -y. More at clumse.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: cclumsy,cllumsy,clmusy,clummsy,clumssy,clumsyy,clumys,clusmy,culmsy,lcumsy
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of clumsy - 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.
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
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Using “clumsy”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is C-L-U-M-S-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈklʌmzi/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “cums” - see the side-by-side comparison. clumsy vs cums
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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.