conclave

/ˈkɒnkleɪv/

//ˈkɒnkleɪv// noun

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

"conclave" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“conclave” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #36,498. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#36,498
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The set of apartments in which cardinals are secluded while the process to elect a pope takes place.

Corpus desk

Index EN-conclave · conclave · English

conclave · rank #36,498 · 12 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #36,498
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH concoction

Nearest frequency peer: concoction (+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 “conclave”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “conclave” 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).

conclave vs conclude
75% similar
conclave vs concave
88% similar
conclave vs conceive
75% similar

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

Key facts for conclave
PropertyValue
Headwordconclave
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkɒnkleɪv/
Letters8
Frequency rank#36,498
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “conclave”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).conclavelands here:

#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. Same rarity band neighbours include “concoction” (#36,499), “commissary” (#36,496), “comforter” (#36,495). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “conclave” is #36,498. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around conclave (IPA /ˈkɒnkleɪv/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #36,498 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for conclave, with forms such as "cconclave", "cnoclave", and "cocnlave". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 3 confusable-pair relationships, "conclude", "concave", "conceive", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: PIE word *ḱóm The noun is derived from Late Middle English conclave (“private chamber; (Roman Catholicism) private room where election of the Pope takes place; meeting held for this purpose”), borrowed from Middle French conclave (modern French conclave), … The correct English form is conclave, spelled C-O-N-C-L-A-V-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    The set of apartments in which cardinals are secluded while the process to elect a pope takes place.
  2. 2
    A group of cardinals assembled to elect a new pope.
  3. 3
    A group of cardinals assembled to elect a new pope.
  4. 4
    A closed assembly at which cardinals elect a pope.
  5. 5
    A closed assembly at which cardinals elect a pope.
  6. 6
    A private chamber or room.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. On Friday, St. John's Day, the 27th of December, the cardinals entered the conclave. […] Two hours before nightfall, the whole body met again in a chapel within the conclave, and after the bull of pope Julius [II] against simoniacal practices had been read, every cardinal, in the presence of the foreign ambassadors, took his corporal oath upon the Holy Ev…
  2. Of the ten Cardinals now forming the Conclave, five voted for Cardinal Geoffredo Castiglione [later Pope Celestine IV], a Milanese, nephew to Urban III, and three for Cardinal Romano [da Porto].

Etymology

PIE word *ḱóm The noun is derived from Late Middle English conclave (“private chamber; (Roman Catholicism) private room where election of the Pope takes place; meeting held for this purpose”), borrowed from Middle French conclave (modern French conclave), or directly from its etymon Latin conclāve (“chamber, room; enclosed space that can be locked; dining hall”), from con- (prefix denoting a being or bringing together of several objects) (combining form of cum (“(along) with”)) + clāvis (“key”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kleh₂w- (“(noun) crook, hook; peg; (verb) to close”)). The verb is derived from the noun.

This word in other languages

cónclave(Español)conclave(Français)Konklave(Deutsch)conclave(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • cconclave
  • cnoclave
  • cocnlave
  • concalve
  • concclave
  • conclaev
  • conclavve
  • concllave
  • conclvae
  • conlcave
  • connclave
  • ocnclave

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of conclave - 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.

cconclave1cnoclave2cocnlave2concalve2concclave1conclaev2conclavve1concllave1
Edit distance from "conclave"

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 "conclave"?
"conclave" is spelled C-O-N-C-L-A-V-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkɒnkleɪv/.
What does "conclave" mean?
As a noun, "conclave" means: The set of apartments in which cardinals are secluded while the process to elect a pope takes place.
What words are commonly confused with "conclave"?
"conclave" is commonly confused with "conclude", "concave", "conceive". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "conclave"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "conclave" is /ˈkɒnkleɪv/. 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 "conclave"?
PIE word *ḱóm The noun is derived from Late Middle English conclave (“private chamber; (Roman Catholicism) private room where election of the Pope takes place; meeting held for this purpose”), borrowed from Middle French conclave (modern French c... 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 "conclave", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

conspire#36,501comatose#36,494Comanche#36,493cramming#36,505

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

commissary12 variantscitywide12 variantsdancehall12 variantscatwoman12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list