cyanide

/ˈsaɪənaɪd/

//ˈsaɪənaɪd// noun

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

"cyanide" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“cyanide” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #21,177. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#21,177
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Any compound containing the -C≡N group or the CN⁻ anion.

Corpus desk

Index EN-cyanide · cyanide · English

cyanide · rank #21,177 · 10 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #21,177
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH cuffs

Nearest frequency peer: cuffs (-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 “cyanide”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “cyanide” 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).

cyanide vs canine
71% similar

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

Key facts for cyanide
PropertyValue
Headwordcyanide
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈsaɪənaɪd/
Letters7
Frequency rank#21,177
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “cyanide”

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “cuffs” (#21,176), “deadpool” (#21,178), “crystalline” (#21,175). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “cyanide” is #21,177. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around cyanide (IPA /ˈsaɪənaɪd/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #21,177 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for cyanide, with forms such as "caynide", "ccyanide", and "cyainde". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "canine", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From cyan- + -ide. The correct English form is cyanide, spelled C-Y-A-N-I-D-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any compound containing the -C≡N group or the CN⁻ anion.
  2. 2
    Sodium or potassium cyanide, used in the extraction of gold and silver or as a poison.
  3. 3
    Hydrogen cyanide, or cyanide gas, a poisonous gas.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The birdies all try an' hide / But they still go for peanuts / When coated with cyanide
  2. Two doctors and a metallurgist from Scotland patented a process for dissolving gold with cyanide in 1887 and patented the recovery of gold from solution using finely divided zinc (zinc precipitation) the following year. […] The first commercial processing plant to use cyanide in the milling circuit was constructed at the Crown mine at Karangahake, New Zea…

Etymology

From cyan- + -ide.

This word in other languages

cianuro(Español)cyanure(Français)Zyanid(Deutsch)cianeto(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • caynide
  • ccyanide
  • cyainde
  • cyandie
  • cyanidde
  • cyanied
  • cyannide
  • cynaide
  • cyyanide
  • ycanide

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of cyanide - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

caynide2ccyanide1cyainde2cyandie2cyanidde1cyanied2cyannide1cynaide2
Edit distance from "cyanide"

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 "cyanide"?
"cyanide" is spelled C-Y-A-N-I-D-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsaɪənaɪd/.
What does "cyanide" mean?
As a noun, "cyanide" means: Any compound containing the -C≡N group or the CN⁻ anion.
What words are commonly confused with "cyanide"?
"cyanide" is commonly confused with "canine". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "cyanide"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "cyanide" is /ˈsaɪənaɪd/. 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 "cyanide"?
From cyan- + -ide. 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 "cyanide", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

drugged#21,191Emanuel#21,197Camilla#21,153cabaret#21,152

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

euphoria10 variantsblight10 variantsfirewall10 variantsbandage10 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list