like the clappers
"like-the-clappers" is a 15-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“like the clappers” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a prep_phrase. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 17
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Very hard or very rapidly.
Corpus desk
Index EN-like-the-clappers · like the clappers · English
like the clappers · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-MEGA 17 letters
- VOW-5 5 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.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | like the clappers |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Prep_phrase |
| Letters | 17 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “like the clappers” in English
Rare enough to double-check
like the clappers is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as aprep_phrase. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Very hard or very rapidly.".
Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for like the clappers, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: Partridge says: "Possibly rhyming slang for 'clappers of a bell', 'hell'." The correct English form is like the clappers, spelled L-I-K-E- -T-H-E- -C-L-A-P-P-E-R-S.
Definition
- 1Very hard or very rapidly.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how like the clappers appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
After hurling their insults, they ran like the clappers to get away.
And when it started off they first studied them, and of course they went like the clappers to prove what they could do, which was the thing they shouldn't be doing because it was a study, and of course, they've got to work like the clappers all the time once it came into operation.
Etymology
Partridge says: "Possibly rhyming slang for 'clappers of a bell', 'hell'."
Synonyms
This word in other languages
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.