clou

\klu\

/\klu\/ noun

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

The verdict

“clou” is a moderately-common French word, ranked #12,128 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#12,128
frequency rank, French
4
letters
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Tige rigide, de fer ou d’autre métal, courte, pointue, et à la tête aplatie ou protubérante, qui sert de cheville pour fixer ou à pendre quelque chose.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

clou vs co
50% similar
clou vs con
50% similar
clou vs cru
50% similar

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

Key facts for clou
PropertyValue
Headwordclou
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\klu\
Letters4
Frequency rank#12,128
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “clou” 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). clou lands here:

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

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The French entry for clou is 4 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \klu\. Corpus data places it at rank #12,128 in overall French word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 14 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for clou, with forms such as "cclou", "cllou", and "cluo". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "co", "con", "cru", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct French form is clou, spelled C-L-O-U.

Definition

  1. 1
    Tige rigide, de fer ou d’autre métal, courte, pointue, et à la tête aplatie ou protubérante, qui sert de cheville pour fixer ou à pendre quelque chose.
  2. 2
    Tige rigide, de fer ou d’autre métal, courte, pointue, et à la tête aplatie ou protubérante, qui sert de cheville pour fixer ou à pendre quelque chose.
  3. 3
    Gage au mont-de-piété ; rebut.
  4. 4
    Clou du spectacle, la partie la plus attrayante d’un spectacle, ce à quoi le succès semble attaché.
  5. 5
    Punition de la salle de police.
  6. 6
    Aspérité appliquée à la chaussée, servant de signalisation au trafic routier.
  7. 7
    Passage clouté ; passage protégé.
  8. 8
    Partie dure qui se trouve dans le marbre et qui rappelle les nœuds qui sont dans le bois ; durillon du marbre.
  9. 9
    Caillot sanguin, thrombus. → voir clou plaquettaire et clou fibrino-plaquettaire
  10. 10
    Ancien nom des leishmanioses cutanées dont les symptômes étaient de gros boutons (clous) sur la peau.
  11. 11
    Furoncle.
  12. 12
    Meuble représentant l’élément de fixation du même nom dans les armoiries. Il est généralement représenté sous une forme antique, c’est-à-dire comme une pyramide très longue à base carrée, pointe vers le bas. Il s’agit le plus souvent d'une apocope de l’expression clou de la Passion faisant référence à la crucifixion du Christ.
  13. 13
    Ornement architectural décorant généralement un mur, c'est d'une pyramide très aplatie, on le nomme aussi pointe de diamant
  14. 14
    Biclou.

This word in other languages

nail(English)clavo(Español)Nagel(Deutsch)cravo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: cclou,cllou,cluo,colu,lcou

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of clou - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

cclou1cllou1cluo2colu2lcou2
Edit distance from "clou"

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.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "clou"?
"clou" is spelled C-L-O-U. The IPA pronunciation is \klu\.
What does "clou" mean?
As a noun, "clou" means: Tige rigide, de fer ou d’autre métal, courte, pointue, et à la tête aplatie ou protubérante, qui sert de cheville pour fixer ou à pendre quelque chose.
What words are commonly confused with "clou"?
"clou" is commonly confused with "co", "con", "cru". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "clou"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "clou" is \klu\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "clou" come from?
"clou" is a French word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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.

Using “clou”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct French spelling is C-L-O-U - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \klu\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “co” - see the side-by-side comparison. clou vs co
  • Browse more French words and confusable pairs in the same reference. French words
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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list