cyclamen

noun

"cyclamen" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“cyclamen” is uncommon English (frequency #85,146 among 5,599 “C” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#85,146
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Any of various primulaceous flowering plants, of the genus Cyclamen, widely cultivated as a houseplant, having decorative leaves and solitary flowers.

Corpus desk

Index EN-cyclamen · cyclamen · English

cyclamen · rank #85,146 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #85,146
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH cultist

Nearest frequency peer: cultist (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “cyclamen”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “cyclamen” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for cyclamen
PropertyValue
Headwordcyclamen
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters8
Frequency rank#85,146
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “cyclamen” 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).cyclamenlands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “cultist” (#85,145), “culex” (#85,144), “cuffing” (#85,142). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

cyclamen is uncommon English at frequency #85,146 among 5,599 “C” headwords, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for cyclamen, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowing from New Latin cyclamen, from Latin cyclamīnos. The correct English form is cyclamen, spelled C-Y-C-L-A-M-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any of various primulaceous flowering plants, of the genus Cyclamen, widely cultivated as a houseplant, having decorative leaves and solitary flowers.
  2. 2
    A purplish-red colour.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. An expectant mother would avoid cyclamen, stepping over it being an ominous sign.
  2. The root of the cyclamen, sowbread, was used in ancient times as an ingredient in love potions.

Etymology

Borrowing from New Latin cyclamen, from Latin cyclamīnos.

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 "cyclamen"?
"cyclamen" is spelled C-Y-C-L-A-M-E-N.
What does "cyclamen" mean?
As a noun, "cyclamen" means: Any of various primulaceous flowering plants, of the genus Cyclamen, widely cultivated as a houseplant, having decorative leaves and solitary flowers.
What is the origin of the word "cyclamen"?
Borrowing from New Latin cyclamen, from Latin cyclamīnos. 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 "cyclamen", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list