I'll be a monkey's uncle
/ˈaɪl biː ə ˈmʌŋkiz ˌʌŋkəl/
"i-ll-be-a-monkey-s-uncle" is a 18-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“I'll be a monkey's uncle” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a phrase. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 24
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Often preceded by well: expressing complete surprise or disbelief.
Corpus desk
Index EN-i-ll-be-a-monkey-s-uncle · I'll be a monkey's uncle · English
I'll be a monkey's uncle · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-MEGA 24 letters
- VOW-8 8 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "I" 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.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | I'll be a monkey's uncle |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Phrase |
| IPA | /ˈaɪl biː ə ˈmʌŋkiz ˌʌŋkəl/ |
| Letters | 24 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “I'll be a monkey's uncle” in English
Rare enough to double-check
I'll be a monkey's uncle is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as aphrase, transcribed /ˈaɪl biː ə ˈmʌŋkiz ˌʌŋkəl/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Often preceded by well: expressing complete surprise or disbelief.".
We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for I'll be a monkey's uncle, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.
Etymologically, the entry records: Uncertain; the term monkey’s uncle appears in 19th-century works and may allude to early ideas about what is now called the theory of evolution. The term may then have gained more currency after the widely publicized 1925 Scopes Trial in Tennessee, United S… The correct English form is I'll be a monkey's uncle, spelled I-'-L-L- -B-E- -A- -M-O-N-K-E-Y-'-S- -U-N-C-L-E.
Definition
- 1Often preceded by well: expressing complete surprise or disbelief.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how I'll be a monkey's uncle appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
Well I’ll be a monkey's uncle! I would never have thought that tourists would go into space!
"Well, I'll be a monkey's uncle!" Lem said. "I've heerd of rifles with transits on 'em, but I ain't ever seen one. Mind if I look at her?"
Etymology
Uncertain; the term monkey’s uncle appears in 19th-century works and may allude to early ideas about what is now called the theory of evolution. The term may then have gained more currency after the widely publicized 1925 Scopes Trial in Tennessee, United States, in which a high-school teacher was found guilty of having violated a law prohibiting the teaching of human evolution in a state-funded school.
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.