cyanogen

Name: cyanogen, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/saɪˈæn.ə.d͡ʒɪn/

//saɪˈæn.ə.d͡ʒɪn// noun

By PlainSpell · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed May 6, 2026

The verdict

“cyanogen” is uncommon English (frequency #77,576 among 43,570 “C” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#77,576
frequency rank, English: 43,570
“C” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The pseudohalogen (CN)₂; a colorless, poisonous gas used as a rocket propellant, an insecticide and in chemical warfare.

Key facts for cyanogen
Property	Value
Headword	cyanogen
Language	English
Part of speech	Noun
IPA	/saɪˈæn.ə.d͡ʒɪn/
Letters	8
Frequency rank	#77,576
Misspellings tracked	0
Confusable pairs	0
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “cyanogen” 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). cyanogen lands here:

#77,576

#1#100#1K#10K#100K

← used constantlyrarely used →

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

Rare enough to double-check

cyanogen is uncommon English at frequency #77,576 among 43,570 “C” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /saɪˈæn.ə.d͡ʒɪn/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for cyanogen, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: From cyano- + -gen; compare French cyanogène. So called because it produced blue dyes. The correct English form is cyanogen, spelled C-Y-A-N-O-G-E-N.

Definition

1
The pseudohalogen (CN)₂; a colorless, poisonous gas used as a rocket propellant, an insecticide and in chemical warfare.
2
The radical -CN.

Etymology

From cyano- + -gen; compare French cyanogène. So called because it produced blue dyes.

This word in other languages

cyane(Français)Cyan(Deutsch)

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 "cyanogen"?

"cyanogen" is spelled C-Y-A-N-O-G-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is /saɪˈæn.ə.d͡ʒɪn/.

What does "cyanogen" mean?

As a noun, "cyanogen" means: The pseudohalogen (CN)₂; a colorless, poisonous gas used as a rocket propellant, an insecticide and in chemical warfare.

How do you pronounce "cyanogen"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "cyanogen" is /saɪˈæn.ə.d͡ʒɪn/. 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 "cyanogen"?

From cyano- + -gen; compare French cyanogène. So called because it produced blue dyes. 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 “cyanogen”

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

The one correct English spelling is C-Y-A-N-O-G-E-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
Say it as /saɪˈæn.ə.d͡ʒɪn/ (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.