cuckoo

/ˈkʊkuː/

//ˈkʊkuː// noun

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

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

The verdict

“cuckoo” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #24,132. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#24,132
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Any of various birds, of the family Cuculidae within the order Cuculiformes, famous for laying its eggs in the nests of other species; but especially a common cuckoo (Cuculus canorus), that has a c...

Corpus desk

Index EN-cuckoo · cuckoo · English

cuckoo · rank #24,132 · 8 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #24,132
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH crossword

Nearest frequency peer: crossword (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “cuckoo”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “cuckoo” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

cuckoo vs cuck
67% similar
cuckoo vs cuckold
71% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for cuckoo
PropertyValue
Headwordcuckoo
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkʊkuː/
Letters6
Frequency rank#24,132
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “cuckoo”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).cuckoolands here:

#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. Same rarity band neighbours include “crossword” (#24,131), “cuddly” (#24,133), “crazed” (#24,130). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “cuckoo” is #24,132. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around cuckoo (IPA /ˈkʊkuː/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #24,132 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 7 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for cuckoo, with forms such as "ccuckoo", "ccukoo", and "cucckoo". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "cuck", "cuckold", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English cokkou, kokkow, cukkuk, gokkouȝ, probably from Old French cocu, coquu, cucu (whence French coucou); ultimately onomatopoeic of the song of the male Common Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus), perhaps via Latin cucūlus (“cuckoo”). Compare dialectal … The correct English form is cuckoo, spelled C-U-C-K-O-O.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any of various birds, of the family Cuculidae within the order Cuculiformes, famous for laying its eggs in the nests of other species; but especially a common cuckoo (Cuculus canorus), that has a characteristic two-note call.
  2. 2
    The sound of that particular bird.
  3. 3
    The bird-shaped figure found in cuckoo clocks.
  4. 4
    The cuckoo clock itself.
  5. 5
    A person who inveigles themselves into a place where they should not be (used especially in the phrase a cuckoo in the nest).
  6. 6
    Someone who is crazy.
  7. 7
    Alternative form of coo-coo (Barbadian food).

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. He knows me, as the blind man knows the cuckoo, / By the bad voice.

Etymology

From Middle English cokkou, kokkow, cukkuk, gokkouȝ, probably from Old French cocu, coquu, cucu (whence French coucou); ultimately onomatopoeic of the song of the male Common Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus), perhaps via Latin cucūlus (“cuckoo”). Compare dialectal English gowkoo (“cuckoo”). Displaced Middle English gnokken (“cuckoo”) and native Middle English yeke, ȝek (from Old English ġēac (“cuckoo”)), see English gowk. The UK sense is by analogy from the bird's practice of brood parasitism.

This word in other languages

cuco(Español)coucou(Français)Kuckuck(Deutsch)cuco(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ccuckoo
  • ccukoo
  • cucckoo
  • cuckkoo
  • cucko
  • cucoko
  • cukcoo
  • ucckoo

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of cuckoo - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

ccuckoo1ccukoo2cucckoo1cuckkoo1cucko1cucoko2cukcoo2ucckoo2
Edit distance from "cuckoo"

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 "cuckoo"?
"cuckoo" is spelled C-U-C-K-O-O. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkʊkuː/.
What does "cuckoo" mean?
As a noun, "cuckoo" means: Any of various birds, of the family Cuculidae within the order Cuculiformes, famous for laying its eggs in the nests of other species; but especially a common cuckoo (Cuculus canorus), that has a c...
What words are commonly confused with "cuckoo"?
"cuckoo" is commonly confused with "cuck", "cuckold". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "cuckoo"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "cuckoo" is /ˈkʊkuː/. 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 "cuckoo"?
From Middle English cokkou, kokkow, cukkuk, gokkouȝ, probably from Old French cocu, coquu, cucu (whence French coucou); ultimately onomatopoeic of the song of the male Common Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus), perhaps via Latin cucūlus (“cuckoo”). Compare ... 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 "cuckoo", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

cuddly#24,133crazed#24,130Danube#24,135cordon#24,126

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

Grady8 variantsgrouse8 variantsgrowl8 variantsAndres8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list