Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

clean slate

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.79 in modern English

Syllables: clean s-late
IPA

12

Scrabble Score

10

Letters

2

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

noun

A slate on which the courses steered by a ship (and distances run) were recorded, but have been wiped clean after being entered in the log at the end of a watch.

Example Sentences

"Near-synonyms: new leaf, new page, new canvas, new sheet; blank slate, blank canvas, tabula rasa"
"I paid off my debt slowly. I started contributing to my first 401(k). I learned how to read a paycheck, how to budget, how to save, and how much I could realistically afford in rent while still setting something aside. […] One year later, I returned to the city with a clean financial slate."

Inflected Forms

clean slates (plural)

Phrases

start with a clean slate wipe the slate clean

Frequently Paired Words

slatelike wipe the slate clean

Synonyms

new leaf new page new canvas new sheet blank slate blank canvas tabula rasa fresh start

Questions

What does clean slate mean?: A fresh start.

How to pronounce clean slate

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “clean slate”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
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Repeat and practice — Say “clean slate” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.