cunnilingus

/ˌkʌn.ɪˈlɪŋ.ɡəs/

//ˌkʌn.ɪˈlɪŋ.ɡəs// noun

"cunnilingus" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“cunnilingus” is an uncommon English word, ranked #66,594 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#66,594
frequency rank, English
11
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Performance of oral sex upon the vulva or vagina.

Key facts for cunnilingus
PropertyValue
Headwordcunnilingus
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌkʌn.ɪˈlɪŋ.ɡəs/
Letters11
Frequency rank#66,594
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “cunnilingus” sits in English frequency

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

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for cunnilingus is 11 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˌkʌn.ɪˈlɪŋ.ɡəs/. Corpus data places it at rank #66,594 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

No generated misspelling entries exist for cunnilingus in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin cunnilingus (literally “cuntlicker”). The meaning shift, not yet complete in the early twentieth century, perhaps derives from figurative uses where the name for a person stands for the name of a practice. The correct English form is cunnilingus, spelled C-U-N-N-I-L-I-N-G-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Performance of oral sex upon the vulva or vagina.
  2. 2
    Someone who performs oral sex on the vulva.

Etymology

From Latin cunnilingus (literally “cuntlicker”). The meaning shift, not yet complete in the early twentieth century, perhaps derives from figurative uses where the name for a person stands for the name of a practice.

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

How do you spell "cunnilingus"?
"cunnilingus" is spelled C-U-N-N-I-L-I-N-G-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌkʌn.ɪˈlɪŋ.ɡəs/.
What does "cunnilingus" mean?
As a noun, "cunnilingus" means: Performance of oral sex upon the vulva or vagina.
How do you pronounce "cunnilingus"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "cunnilingus" is /ˌkʌn.ɪˈlɪŋ.ɡəs/. 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 "cunnilingus"?
From Latin cunnilingus (literally “cuntlicker”). The meaning shift, not yet complete in the early twentieth century, perhaps derives from figurative uses where the name for a person stands for the name of a practice. 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.

Using “cunnilingus”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is C-U-N-N-I-L-I-N-G-U-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˌkʌn.ɪˈlɪŋ.ɡəs/ (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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list