enclave

/ˈɛnkleɪv/

//ˈɛnkleɪv// noun

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

"enclave" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“enclave” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #22,660. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#22,660
frequency rank, English
2,246
“E” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A political, cultural or social entity or part thereof that is completely surrounded by another.

Corpus desk

Index EN-enclave · enclave · English

enclave · rank #22,660 · 10 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #22,660
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,246
  • PHOTO-FINISH entourage

Nearest frequency peer: entourage (+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 “enclave”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “enclave” 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).

enclave vs enslave
86% similar
enclave vs enclose
71% similar

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

Key facts for enclave
PropertyValue
Headwordenclave
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɛnkleɪv/
Letters7
Frequency rank#22,660
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “enclave”

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

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “entourage” (#22,661), “Ely” (#22,658), “epoch” (#22,662). Among 2,246 “E” headwords, “enclave” is #22,660. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around enclave (IPA /ˈɛnkleɪv/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #22,660 among 2,246 “E” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for enclave, with forms such as "ecnlave", "encalve", and "encclave". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "enslave", "enclose", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from French enclave, from Middle French enclave (“enclave”), deverbal of enclaver (“to inclose”), from Old French enclaver (“to inclose, lock in”), from Vulgar Latin *inclāvāre (“to lock in”), from in + Latin clavis (“key”) or clavus (“nail, bolt”)… The correct English form is enclave, spelled E-N-C-L-A-V-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A political, cultural or social entity or part thereof that is completely surrounded by another.
  2. 2
    A group that is set off from a larger population by its characteristic or behavior.
  3. 3
    An isolated portion of an application's address space, such that data in an enclave can only be accessed by code in the same enclave.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The Republic of San Marino is an enclave of Italy.
  2. The streets around Union Square form a Protestant enclave within an otherwise Catholic neighbourhood.

Etymology

Borrowed from French enclave, from Middle French enclave (“enclave”), deverbal of enclaver (“to inclose”), from Old French enclaver (“to inclose, lock in”), from Vulgar Latin *inclāvāre (“to lock in”), from in + Latin clavis (“key”) or clavus (“nail, bolt”). Compare inlock.

This word in other languages

enclave(Español)enclave(Français)Enklave(Deutsch)enclave(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ecnlave
  • encalve
  • encclave
  • enclaev
  • enclavve
  • encllave
  • enclvae
  • enlcave
  • ennclave
  • neclave

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ecnlave2encalve2encclave1enclaev2enclavve1encllave1enclvae2enlcave2
Edit distance from "enclave"

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 "enclave"?
"enclave" is spelled E-N-C-L-A-V-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɛnkleɪv/.
What does "enclave" mean?
As a noun, "enclave" means: A political, cultural or social entity or part thereof that is completely surrounded by another.
What words are commonly confused with "enclave"?
"enclave" is commonly confused with "enslave", "enclose". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "enclave"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "enclave" is /ˈɛnkleɪv/. 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 "enclave"?
Borrowed from French enclave, from Middle French enclave (“enclave”), deverbal of enclaver (“to inclose”), from Old French enclaver (“to inclose, lock in”), from Vulgar Latin *inclāvāre (“to lock in”), from in + Latin clavis (“key”) or clavus (“na... 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 "enclave", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

fielder#22,674forgery#22,676deprive#22,642Cumbria#22,635

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

gentry10 variantscoolant10 variantsJameson10 variantsJohannes10 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list