layer cake

noun

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

The verdict

“layer cake” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
10
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A cake consisting of multiple stacked sheets of cake, held together by frosting or jam, etc.

Corpus desk

Index EN-layer-cake · layer cake · English

layer cake · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "L" 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 layer cake
PropertyValue
Headwordlayer cake
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters10
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “layer cake” sits in English frequency

layer cakesits beyond the 100,000 most-frequent English words, in the long tail of technical, archaic, or otherwise rare vocabulary where spelling doubt tends to strike hardest.

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

Rare enough to double-check

layer cake is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

layer cake has no tracked misspelling variants, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From layer + cake, named for its appearance, coined c. 1873. The correct English form is layer cake, spelled L-A-Y-E-R- -C-A-K-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A cake consisting of multiple stacked sheets of cake, held together by frosting or jam, etc.
  2. 2
    A type of layering of materials, used in some nuclear bombs.

Etymology

From layer + cake, named for its appearance, coined c. 1873.

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 "layer cake"?
"layer cake" is spelled L-A-Y-E-R- -C-A-K-E.
What does "layer cake" mean?
As a noun, "layer cake" means: A cake consisting of multiple stacked sheets of cake, held together by frosting or jam, etc.
What is the origin of the word "layer cake"?
From layer + cake, named for its appearance, coined c. 1873. 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.

What to do next

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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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list