ugly duckling
/ˈʌɡ.liː ˌdʌk.lɪŋ/
"ugly-duckling" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“ugly duckling” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 13
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A young person who is ugly, but who is expected to become beautiful or handsome as they mature.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | ugly duckling |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈʌɡ.liː ˌdʌk.lɪŋ/ |
| Letters | 13 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “ugly duckling” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
ugly duckling is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈʌɡ.liː ˌdʌk.lɪŋ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.
We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for ugly duckling, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: Calque of Danish grim ælling. From the fairy tale of a duckling, considered ugly, that matures into a magnificent swan. The correct English form is ugly duckling, spelled U-G-L-Y- -D-U-C-K-L-I-N-G.
Definition
- 1A young person who is ugly, but who is expected to become beautiful or handsome as they mature.
- 2Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see ugly, duckling.
Etymology
Calque of Danish grim ælling. From the fairy tale of a duckling, considered ugly, that matures into a magnificent swan.
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
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Using “ugly duckling”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is U-G-L-Y- -D-U-C-K-L-I-N-G - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈʌɡ.liː ˌdʌk.lɪŋ/ (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.