cyclopean

/ˈsaɪkləʊpi.ən/

//ˈsaɪkləʊpi.ən// adj

"cyclopean" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“cyclopean” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
9
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Suggestive of a cyclops.

Corpus desk

Index EN-cyclopean · cyclopean · English

cyclopean · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "C" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for cyclopean
PropertyValue
Headwordcyclopean
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈsaɪkləʊpi.ən/
Letters9
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “cyclopean” in English

cyclopeanfalls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

cyclopean is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˈsaɪkləʊpi.ən/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

cyclopean has no tracked misspelling variants, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From cyclops + -ean. The correct English form is cyclopean, spelled C-Y-C-L-O-P-E-A-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Suggestive of a cyclops.
  2. 2
    Fitted together of huge irregular stones.
  3. 3
    Massive in stature.
  4. 4
    Created by combining two images.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Some of the descendants of this cyclopean ancestor left their burrows and started to swim.
  2. 2006, Fernando Pessoa, "Salutation to Walt Whitman," in A Little Larger Than the Entire Universe: Selected Poems, edited and translated by Richard Zenith, Penguin, pp. 198-9, You were cyclopean and muscular, not pretty, / Yet your attitude toward the world was feminine, / And for you each leaf of grass, each stone and each man was the Universe. See also q…

Etymology

From cyclops + -ean.

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). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "cyclopean"?
"cyclopean" is spelled C-Y-C-L-O-P-E-A-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsaɪkləʊpi.ən/.
What does "cyclopean" mean?
As an adjective, "cyclopean" means: Suggestive of a cyclops.
How do you pronounce "cyclopean"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "cyclopean" is /ˈsaɪkləʊpi.ən/. 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 "cyclopean"?
From cyclops + -ean. 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list