cloaca

/kləʊˈeɪ.kə/

//kləʊˈeɪ.kə// noun

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

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

The verdict

“cloaca” is uncommon English (frequency #78,478 among 5,599 “C” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#78,478
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A sewer.

Corpus desk

Index EN-cloaca · cloaca · English

cloaca · rank #78,478 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #78,478
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH classwork

Nearest frequency peer: classwork (-2 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 “cloaca”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for cloaca
PropertyValue
Headwordcloaca
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/kləʊˈeɪ.kə/
Letters6
Frequency rank#78,478
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “cloaca” in English

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).cloacafalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “classwork” (#78,476), “Cloverdale” (#78,480), “circulator” (#78,475). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “cloaca” is #78,478. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

cloaca is uncommon English at frequency #78,478 among 5,599 “C” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /kləʊˈeɪ.kə/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 5 senses are on record.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for cloaca, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Latin cloāca (“sewer”), related to cluō (“cleanse; purge”), but the derivation is uncertain. The correct English form is cloaca, spelled C-L-O-A-C-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    A sewer.
  2. 2
    The opening in reptiles, amphibians and birds, as well as elasmobranchians, lobe-finned fishes, and monotreme mammals, which serves as the common outlet for the urogenital ducts and rectum.
  3. 3
    An outhouse or lavatory.
  4. 4
    A duct through which gangrenous material escapes a body.
  5. 5
    Structure in the embryo during the development of the reproductive and urinary systems.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The Thames, polluted with the filthy effusions of the cloacae.
  2. […] that tremendous cloaca of Pauperism […]

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin cloāca (“sewer”), related to cluō (“cleanse; purge”), but the derivation is uncertain.

Synonyms

sewerventbathroom

This word in other languages

cloaca(Español)cloaque(Français)Kloake(Deutsch)cloaca(Português)

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 "cloaca"?
"cloaca" is spelled C-L-O-A-C-A. The IPA pronunciation is /kləʊˈeɪ.kə/.
What does "cloaca" mean?
As a noun, "cloaca" means: A sewer.
How do you pronounce "cloaca"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "cloaca" is /kləʊˈeɪ.kə/. 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 "cloaca"?
Borrowed from Latin cloāca (“sewer”), related to cluō (“cleanse; purge”), but the derivation is uncertain. 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 "cloaca", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Cathal#78,459carafe#78,454curtly#78,502Dawley#78,512

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list