cucumber
/ˈkjuːˌkʌmbə/
"cucumber" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“cucumber” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #16,882 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #16,882
- frequency rank, English
- 8
- letters
- 12
- tracked misspellings
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A vine in the gourd family, Cucumis sativus.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | cucumber |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈkjuːˌkʌmbə/ |
| Letters | 8 |
| Frequency rank | #16,882 |
| Misspellings tracked | 12 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “cucumber” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for cucumber is 8 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈkjuːˌkʌmbə/. Corpus data places it at rank #16,882 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for cucumber, with forms such as "ccucumber", "ccuumber", and "cuccumber". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. 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: From Middle English cucumer, cucumber, from Old French cocombre, ultimately from Latin cucumis, cucumerem (possibly through an Old Occitan intermediate). Probably of Pre-Italic substrate origin. The correct English form is cucumber, spelled C-U-C-U-M-B-E-R.
Definition
- 1A vine in the gourd family, Cucumis sativus.
- 2The edible fruit of this plant, having a green rind and crisp white flesh.
- 3A person who is calm and self-possessed.
Etymology
From Middle English cucumer, cucumber, from Old French cocombre, ultimately from Latin cucumis, cucumerem (possibly through an Old Occitan intermediate). Probably of Pre-Italic substrate origin.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: ccucumber,ccuumber,cuccumber,cucmuber,cucubmer,cucumbber,cucumberr,cucumbre,cucumebr,cucummber,cuucmber,uccumber
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of cucumber - 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.
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 "cucumber"?
What does "cucumber" mean?
What are common misspellings of "cucumber"?
How do you pronounce "cucumber"?
What is the origin of the word "cucumber"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “cucumber”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is C-U-C-U-M-B-E-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈkjuːˌkʌmbə/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.