lick clean

verb

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

The verdict

“lick clean” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
10
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To empty (something) by eating its contents.

Corpus desk

Index EN-lick-clean · lick clean · English

lick clean · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "L" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for lick clean
PropertyValue
Headwordlick clean
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
Letters10
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “lick clean” in English

lick cleanranks outside the top 100,000 English headwords, in the long tail of specialist, archaic, or seldom-used vocabulary, exactly the territory where a reader stops mid-sentence to double-check spelling.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

lick clean is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as averb. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "To empty (something) by eating its contents.".

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for lick clean, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From lick + clean. The correct English form is lick clean, spelled L-I-C-K- -C-L-E-A-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    To empty (something) by eating its contents.

Etymology

From lick + clean.

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "lick clean"?
"lick clean" is spelled L-I-C-K- -C-L-E-A-N.
What does "lick clean" mean?
As a verb, "lick clean" means: To empty (something) by eating its contents.
What is the origin of the word "lick clean"?
From lick + clean. 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list