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cluster

Definition, pronunciation, etymology, and usage for the English word. Free spelling reference powered by Wiktionary.

Letters

7 characters

Language

English

word origin

Source

Wiktionary

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Detailed reference entry for the English word "cluster", 7-letters, with pronunciation in International Phonetic Alphabet notation, etymology traced through Germanic and Romance roots where applicable, common misspelling variants catalogued from Hunspell error dictionaries, and usage frequency ranked against the top 100,000 English words in the Wordfreq corpus. PlainSpell covers English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German spelling with confusable-pair detection that highlights visually and phonetically similar words. This entry for "cluster" includes synonyms, antonyms, homophones, and cross-language translation pointers sourced from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org extract. Whether you are verifying the correct spelling of "cluster" for academic writing, checking homophone confusion, or exploring etymological origins, this page provides a citation-backed, free reference that requires no sign-up.

cluster is aEnglishnoun. It means: A bunch or group of several discrete items that are close to each other. Pronounced /ˈklʌstə/. It ranks #7,206 in English word frequency. Often confused with cutter and coaster.

Key facts for cluster
PropertyValue
Headwordcluster
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈklʌstə/
Letters7
Frequency rank#7,206
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs13
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency rank visualization

Position of cluster in English word frequency (lower rank = more common)

Source: Wordfreq corpus

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for cluster is 7 letters long, classified as anoun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈklʌstə/. Corpus data places it at rank #7,206 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text.Wiktionary records 14 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our Hunspell-derived misspelling index lists 11 documented wrong-spelling variants for cluster, with forms such as "ccluster", "clluster", and "clsuter". Each variant represents a distinct typo pattern that appears often enough in corpora to be worth flagging, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution.It also participates in 13 confusable-pair relationships, "cutter", "coaster", "clutter", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: The noun is derived from Middle English cluster (“bunch, cluster, spray; compact body or mass, ball”) [and other forms], from Old English cluster, clyster (“cluster, bunch, branch”), from Proto-Germanic *klas-, *klus- (“to clump, lump together”) (possibly f… Root origin matters for spelling because borrowed morphemes (Greek, Latin, Old French, Old English) carry their source-language orthographic conventions into modern English, which is why historical etymology is often the cleanest predictor of whether a cluster like "-ough", "-eau", or "-tion" will appear. For readers arriving here from a spelling check, the authoritative guidance is: the correct English form is cluster, spelled C-L-U-S-T-E-R, and any other sequence of those letters, regardless of how natural it feels, is a misspelling in standard orthography.

Definition

  1. 1
    A bunch or group of several discrete items that are close to each other.
  2. 2
    A bunch or group of several discrete items that are close to each other.
  3. 3
    A bunch or group of several discrete items that are close to each other.
  4. 4
    A bunch or group of several discrete items that are close to each other.
  5. 5
    A bunch or group of several discrete items that are close to each other.
  6. 6
    A bunch or group of several discrete items that are close to each other.
  7. 7
    A bunch or group of several discrete items that are close to each other.
  8. 8
    A bunch or group of several discrete items that are close to each other.
  9. 9
    A bunch or group of several discrete items that are close to each other.
  10. 10
    A bunch or group of several discrete items that are close to each other.
  11. 11
    A bunch or group of several discrete items that are close to each other.
  12. 12
    A bunch or group of several discrete items that are close to each other.
  13. 13
    A number of individuals (animals or people) collected in one place or grouped together; a crowd, a mob, a swarm.
  14. 14
    Euphemistic form of clusterfuck (“a chaotic situation where everything seems to go wrong”).

Etymology

The noun is derived from Middle English cluster (“bunch, cluster, spray; compact body or mass, ball”) [and other forms], from Old English cluster, clyster (“cluster, bunch, branch”), from Proto-Germanic *klas-, *klus- (“to clump, lump together”) (possibly from Proto-Indo-European *gel- (“to ball up; to clench; to amass”)) + *-þrą (suffix forming nouns denoting an instrument or tool). The English word is probably a doublet of clot. The verb is derived from the noun. Cognates * Dutch klister (“cluster”) (dialectal) * Icelandic klasi (“cluster; bunch of grapes”) * Low German Kluuster (“cluster”) * Swedish kluster (“cluster”)

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ccluster,clluster,clsuter,clusetr,clusster,clusterr,clustre,clustter,clutser,culster,lcuster

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

Relative frequency of common misspelling types for cluster

Misspelling Variants of "cluster"

ccluster8clluster8clsuter7clusetr7clusster8clusterr8clustre7clustter8
Misspelling Variants of "cluster"

Frequency rank: #7,206 in English

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "cluster"?
"cluster" is spelled C-L-U-S-T-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈklʌstə/.
What does "cluster" mean?
As a noun, "cluster" means: A bunch or group of several discrete items that are close to each other.
What words are commonly confused with "cluster"?
"cluster" is commonly confused with "cutter", "coaster", "clutter". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "cluster"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "cluster" is /ˈklʌstə/. 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 "cluster"?
The noun is derived from Middle English cluster (“bunch, cluster, spray; compact body or mass, ball”) [and other forms], from Old English cluster, clyster (“cluster, bunch, branch”), from Proto-Germanic *klas-, *klus- (“to clump, lump together”) (... 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.

Nearby English words

Other entries that begin with the letter C in our English index:

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Data Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Frequency data from Wordfreq. Misspellings derived from Hunspell dictionaries.