life cycle

/ˈlaɪf ˌsaɪ.kəl/

//ˈlaɪf ˌsaɪ.kəl// noun

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

The verdict

“life cycle” 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 May 6, 2026) - The course of stages through which an organism passes from fertilized zygote until maturity, reproduction, and death.

Key facts for life cycle
PropertyValue
Headwordlife cycle
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈlaɪf ˌsaɪ.kəl/
Letters10
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “life cycle” sits in English frequency

life cycle falls 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

life cycle is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈlaɪf ˌsaɪ.kəl/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

No misspelling variants are generated for life cycle in our index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From life + cycle. The correct English form is life cycle, spelled L-I-F-E- -C-Y-C-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    The course of stages through which an organism passes from fertilized zygote until maturity, reproduction, and death.
  2. 2
    The useful life of a product or system; the developmental history of an individual or group in society.

Etymology

From life + cycle.

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 "life cycle"?
"life cycle" is spelled L-I-F-E- -C-Y-C-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈlaɪf ˌsaɪ.kəl/.
What does "life cycle" mean?
As a noun, "life cycle" means: The course of stages through which an organism passes from fertilized zygote until maturity, reproduction, and death.
How do you pronounce "life cycle"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "life cycle" is /ˈlaɪf ˌsaɪ.kəl/. 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 "life cycle"?
From life + cycle. 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 “life cycle”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is L-I-F-E- -C-Y-C-L-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈlaɪf ˌsaɪ.kəl/ (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
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