subclavian
/səbˈkleɪ.vi.ən/
"subclavian" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“subclavian” is uncommon English (frequency #85,821 among 54,294 “S” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- #85,821
- frequency rank, English
- 54,294
- “S” headwords
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Relating to or denoting an artery or vein which serves the neck and arm on the left or right side of the body.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | subclavian |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /səbˈkleɪ.vi.ən/ |
| Letters | 10 |
| Frequency rank | #85,821 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “subclavian” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
subclavian is uncommon English at frequency #85,821 among 54,294 “S” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /səbˈkleɪ.vi.ən/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Relating to or denoting an artery or vein which serves the neck and arm on the left or right side of the body.".
Zero misspellings are on record for subclavian in our index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.
Etymologically, the entry records: From New Latin subclavius + -ian, from sub- (“under”) + clavicula (“collar bone, clavicle”) + -ius (adjectival suffix). The correct English form is subclavian, spelled S-U-B-C-L-A-V-I-A-N.
Definition
- 1Relating to or denoting an artery or vein which serves the neck and arm on the left or right side of the body.
Etymology
From New Latin subclavius + -ian, from sub- (“under”) + clavicula (“collar bone, clavicle”) + -ius (adjectival suffix).
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); 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 "subclavian"?
What does "subclavian" mean?
How do you pronounce "subclavian"?
What is the origin of the word "subclavian"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “subclavian”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is S-U-B-C-L-A-V-I-A-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /səbˈkleɪ.vi.ən/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Other uncommon English words near this rank
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.