cuneiform
/ˈkjuː.nɪ.fɔːm/
"cuneiform" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“cuneiform” is uncommon English (frequency #51,050 among 43,570 “C” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- #51,050
- frequency rank, English
- 43,570
- “C” headwords
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Having the form of a wedge; wedge-shaped, especially with a tapered end.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | cuneiform |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /ˈkjuː.nɪ.fɔːm/ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Frequency rank | #51,050 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “cuneiform” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
cuneiform is uncommon English at frequency #51,050 among 43,570 “C” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˈkjuː.nɪ.fɔːm/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.
Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for cuneiform, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.
Etymologically, the entry records: From French cunéiforme or New Latin cuneifōrmis, from Classical Latin cuneus (“wedge”) + fōrma. The correct English form is cuneiform, spelled C-U-N-E-I-F-O-R-M.
Definition
- 1Having the form of a wedge; wedge-shaped, especially with a tapered end.
- 2Written in the cuneiform writing system.
Etymology
From French cunéiforme or New Latin cuneifōrmis, from Classical Latin cuneus (“wedge”) + fōrma.
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); 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
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Using “cuneiform”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is C-U-N-E-I-F-O-R-M - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈkjuː.nɪ.fɔːm/ (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
Other uncommon English words near this rank
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.