enclosure

/ɛnˈkloʊʒəɹ/

//ɛnˈkloʊʒəɹ// noun

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

"enclosure" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“enclosure” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #12,764. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#12,764
frequency rank, English
2,246
“E” headwords
13
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Something that is enclosed, i.e. inserted into a letter or similar package.

Corpus desk

Index EN-enclosure · enclosure · English

enclosure · rank #12,764 · 13 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #12,764
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 13 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,246
  • PHOTO-FINISH evangelical

Nearest frequency peer: evangelical (+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 “enclosure”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “enclosure” 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).

enclosure vs enclose
78% similar

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

Key facts for enclosure
PropertyValue
Headwordenclosure
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɛnˈkloʊʒəɹ/
Letters9
Frequency rank#12,764
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “enclosure”

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).enclosurelands 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 “evangelical” (#12,765), “ee” (#12,762), “doubling” (#12,761). Among 2,246 “E” headwords, “enclosure” is #12,764. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around enclosure (IPA /ɛnˈkloʊʒəɹ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #12,764 among 2,246 “E” headwords. Wiktionary lists 7 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for enclosure, with forms such as "ecnlosure", "encclosure", and "encllosure". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "enclose", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English enclosure, from Old French enclosure, from enclore, from Latin inclūdere, inclūdō, from in- (“in”) + claudō (“to shut”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kleh₂u- (“key, hook, nail”). Alike to inclusion. The correct English form is enclosure, spelled E-N-C-L-O-S-U-R-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Something that is enclosed, i.e. inserted into a letter or similar package.
  2. 2
    The act of enclosing, i.e. the insertion or inclusion of an item in a letter or package.
  3. 3
    An area, domain, or amount of something partially or entirely enclosed by barriers.
  4. 4
    The act of separating and surrounding an area, domain, or amount of something with a barrier.
  5. 5
    The act of restricting access to ideas, works of art or technologies using patents or intellectual property laws.
  6. 6
    The post-feudal process of subdivision of common lands for individual ownership.
  7. 7
    The area of a convent, monastery, etc where access is restricted to community members.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. There was an enclosure with the letter — a photo.
  2. The enclosure of a photo with your letter is appreciated.

Etymology

From Middle English enclosure, from Old French enclosure, from enclore, from Latin inclūdere, inclūdō, from in- (“in”) + claudō (“to shut”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kleh₂u- (“key, hook, nail”). Alike to inclusion.

This word in other languages

encierro(Español)pièce jointe(Français)Anlage(Deutsch)cercado(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ecnlosure
  • encclosure
  • encllosure
  • enclosrue
  • enclossure
  • enclosuer
  • enclosurre
  • enclousre
  • enclsoure
  • encolsure
  • enlcosure
  • ennclosure
  • neclosure

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of enclosure - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

ecnlosure2encclosure1encllosure1enclosrue2enclossure1enclosuer2enclosurre1enclousre2
Edit distance from "enclosure"

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 "enclosure"?
"enclosure" is spelled E-N-C-L-O-S-U-R-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ɛnˈkloʊʒəɹ/.
What does "enclosure" mean?
As a noun, "enclosure" means: Something that is enclosed, i.e. inserted into a letter or similar package.
What words are commonly confused with "enclosure"?
"enclosure" is commonly confused with "enclose". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "enclosure"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "enclosure" is /ɛnˈkloʊʒəɹ/. 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 "enclosure"?
From Middle English enclosure, from Old French enclosure, from enclore, from Latin inclūdere, inclūdō, from in- (“in”) + claudō (“to shut”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kleh₂u- (“key, hook, nail”). Alike to inclusion. 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 "enclosure", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

exceeding#12,767exquisite#12,769differing#12,754feminists#12,775

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (13 here; floor ≥5).

irritating13 variantsapartheid13 variantsperpetual13 variantstrending13 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list