cicada

/sɪˈkeɪ.də/

//sɪˈkeɪ.də// noun

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

"cicada" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“cicada” is uncommon English (frequency #53,446 among 5,599 “C” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#53,446
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Any of several insects in the superfamily Cicadoidea, with small eyes wide apart on the head and transparent well-veined wings.

Corpus desk

Index EN-cicada · cicada · English

cicada · rank #53,446 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #53,446
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH climes

Nearest frequency peer: climes (+1 rank slots)

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.

Long-tail ranks near “cicada”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “cicada” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for cicada
PropertyValue
Headwordcicada
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/sɪˈkeɪ.də/
Letters6
Frequency rank#53,446
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “cicada” in English

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).cicadafalls in this rarity band:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “climes” (#53,447), “Chorley” (#53,444), “CNY” (#53,448). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “cicada” is #53,446. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

cicada is uncommon English at frequency #53,446 among 5,599 “C” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /sɪˈkeɪ.də/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for cicada, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Latin cicāda, ultimately onomatopoeic. Doublet of cicala. The correct English form is cicada, spelled C-I-C-A-D-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any of several insects in the superfamily Cicadoidea, with small eyes wide apart on the head and transparent well-veined wings.
  2. 2
    Any of several insects in the superfamily Cicadoidea, with small eyes wide apart on the head and transparent well-veined wings.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Last spring, the periodical cicadas emerged across eastern North America. Their vast numbers and short above-ground life spans inspired awe and irritation in humans—and made for good meals for birds and small mammals.
  2. The emergence years of the principal cicada broods have now been recorded for a long time, and the oldest record of a swarm is that of the appearance of the “locusts” in New England two hundred and ninety-five years ago.

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin cicāda, ultimately onomatopoeic. Doublet of cicala.

Synonyms

cicalaharvest flyjarflylyreman

This word in other languages

chicharra(Español)cigale(Français)Zikade(Deutsch)

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 "cicada"?
"cicada" is spelled C-I-C-A-D-A. The IPA pronunciation is /sɪˈkeɪ.də/.
What does "cicada" mean?
As a noun, "cicada" means: Any of several insects in the superfamily Cicadoidea, with small eyes wide apart on the head and transparent well-veined wings.
How do you pronounce "cicada"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "cicada" is /sɪˈkeɪ.də/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "cicada"?
Borrowed from Latin cicāda, ultimately onomatopoeic. Doublet of cicala. See the full etymology section above for more details.
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 English words by spelling shape

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

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

climes#53,447Cayuga#53,430budgie#53,419Briana#53,416

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list