cloud nine
/ˈklaʊd ˈnaɪn/
"cloud-nine" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“cloud nine” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 10
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Often in the phrase on cloud nine: a state of bliss, elation or happiness.
Corpus desk
Index EN-cloud-nine · cloud nine · English
cloud nine · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-MEGA 10 letters
- VOW-4 4 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.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | cloud nine |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈklaʊd ˈnaɪn/ |
| Letters | 10 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “cloud nine” in English
Rare enough to double-check
cloud nine is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈklaʊd ˈnaɪn/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.
The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for cloud nine, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: The origin of sense 1 (“a state of bliss”) is uncertain; however, the following etymology has been suggested: * The first edition of the International Cloud Atlas (1896), which defined ten types of cloud, described the ninth type as the cumulonimbus which r… The correct English form is cloud nine, spelled C-L-O-U-D- -N-I-N-E.
Definition
- 1Often in the phrase on cloud nine: a state of bliss, elation or happiness.
- 2A state of fantastic or impractical dreaming or thinking.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how cloud nine appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
He was on cloud nine for days after she agreed to marry him.
In your zeal you may not feel you are undertaking a thing for your own sake but think you are doing so for God. Nevertheless, you should remember that at the time of great excitement as though you were on cloud nine, you may perhaps be most fleshly!
Etymology
The origin of sense 1 (“a state of bliss”) is uncertain; however, the following etymology has been suggested: * The first edition of the International Cloud Atlas (1896), which defined ten types of cloud, described the ninth type as the cumulonimbus which rises to 10 km (6.2 miles), the highest a cloud can be. Compare cloud seven (“state of complete happiness or euphoria”), which may have originated from confusion of cloud nine with seventh heaven. Sense 2 (“a state of fantastic or impractical dreaming or thinking”) may be due to a confusion between sense 1 and the phrase head in the clouds.
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.