clair

\klɛʁ\

/\klɛʁ\/ adj

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

The verdict

“clair” has 7 generated spelling variants in the French index at frequency #1,086. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#1,086
frequency rank, French
8,609
“C” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Qui a l’éclat du jour, de la lumière.

Corpus desk

Index FR-clair · clair · French

clair · rank #1,086 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #1,086
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 8,609
  • PHOTO-FINISH ciel

Nearest frequency peer: ciel (-1 rank slots)

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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “clair”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “clair” sits against the nearest ranked French headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

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).

clair vs clan
60% similar
clair vs clip
60% similar
clair vs cuir
60% similar

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

Key facts for clair
PropertyValue
Headwordclair
LanguageFrench
Part of speechAdjective
IPA\klɛʁ\
Letters5
Frequency rank#1,086
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “clair” sits in French frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around clair (IPA \klɛʁ\), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #1,086 among 8,609 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 14 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for clair, with forms such as "calir", "cclair", and "clairr". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "clan", "clip", "cuir", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct French form is clair, spelled C-L-A-I-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Qui a l’éclat du jour, de la lumière.
  2. 2
    Qui reçoit beaucoup de jour.
  3. 3
    Transparent, pas trouble, pur.
  4. 4
    Qualifie un œuf qui n’est pas fécondé.
  5. 5
    Luisant, poli.
  6. 6
    La meilleure partie, la partie la plus sûre, la plus incontestable.
  7. 7
    Peu foncé.
  8. 8
    Éclairci.
  9. 9
    Peu consistant, peu épais.
  10. 10
    Peu serré, clairsemé.
  11. 11
    Net, aigu, en parlant de la voix et des sons.
  12. 12
    Intelligible, aisé à comprendre, simple.
  13. 13
    Évident, manifeste.
  14. 14
    Qui comprend aisément, en parlant de l’esprit.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Mais, ô planète belle et claire […]
  2. Adieu donc, clairs soleils si divins et si beaux, Adieu l’honneur sacré des forêts et des eaux !

Synonyms

aiséargentinbrillantpropreprécissagacesignificatifsûrvisible

This word in other languages

bright(English)claro(Español)hell(Deutsch)luminoso(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • calir
  • cclair
  • clairr
  • clari
  • cliar
  • cllair
  • lcair

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of clair - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

calir2cclair1clairr1clari2cliar2cllair1lcair2
Edit distance from "clair"

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 French corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "clair"?
"clair" is spelled C-L-A-I-R. The IPA pronunciation is \klɛʁ\.
What does "clair" mean?
As an adjective, "clair" means: Qui a l’éclat du jour, de la lumière.
What words are commonly confused with "clair"?
"clair" is commonly confused with "clan", "clip", "cuir". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "clair"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "clair" is \klɛʁ\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "clair" come from?
"clair" is a French word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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 French words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "clair", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked French headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

suivi#1,076signe#1,097tenir#1,099tient#1,100

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

réussi7 variantspoids7 variantstrucs7 variantsalbum7 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "clair". Here's where to go from here.

  • "clair" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "clan". View pair
  • 7 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #1,086 among French headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more French words in the "C" letter cohort. C–Z browse

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list