cloud-cuckoo-land

/klaʊdˈkʊkuːlænd/

//klaʊdˈkʊkuːlænd// noun

"cloud-cuckoo-land" is a 15-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“cloud-cuckoo-land” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
17
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An imaginary place where silly or unrealistic people metaphorically reside.

Corpus desk

Index EN-cloud-cuckoo-land · cloud-cuckoo-land · English

cloud-cuckoo-land · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 17 letters
  • VOW-6 6 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "C" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for cloud-cuckoo-land
PropertyValue
Headwordcloud-cuckoo-land
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/klaʊdˈkʊkuːlænd/
Letters17
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “cloud-cuckoo-land” in English

cloud-cuckoo-landranks outside the top 100,000 English headwords, in the long tail of specialist, archaic, or seldom-used vocabulary, exactly the territory where a reader stops mid-sentence to double-check spelling.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

cloud-cuckoo-land is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /klaʊdˈkʊkuːlænd/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "An imaginary place where silly or unrealistic people metaphorically reside.".

cloud-cuckoo-land doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: Calque of Ancient Greek Νεφελοκοκκυγία (Nephelokokkugía), from Aristophanes. The correct English form is cloud-cuckoo-land, spelled C-L-O-U-D---C-U-C-K-O-O---L-A-N-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    An imaginary place where silly or unrealistic people metaphorically reside.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. That glabrous dome that lifts itself so grand, / There in the marish, is the omphalos, / The navel, umbo, middle, central boss / Of the unique, sole, true Cloud-Cuckoo Land.

Etymology

Calque of Ancient Greek Νεφελοκοκκυγία (Nephelokokkugía), from Aristophanes.

Synonyms

This word in other languages

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "cloud-cuckoo-land"?
"cloud-cuckoo-land" is spelled C-L-O-U-D---C-U-C-K-O-O---L-A-N-D. The IPA pronunciation is /klaʊdˈkʊkuːlænd/.
What does "cloud-cuckoo-land" mean?
As a noun, "cloud-cuckoo-land" means: An imaginary place where silly or unrealistic people metaphorically reside.
How do you pronounce "cloud-cuckoo-land"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "cloud-cuckoo-land" is /klaʊdˈkʊkuːlænd/. 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 "cloud-cuckoo-land"?
Calque of Ancient Greek Νεφελοκοκκυγία (Nephelokokkugía), from Aristophanes. 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list