Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

fruitcake

/ˈfɹuːt.keɪk/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: 2.36 in modern English

Syllables: fruit-cake
IPA: /ˈfɹuːt.keɪk/

18

Scrabble Score

9

Letters

2

Syllables

9

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A cake containing dried fruits and, optionally, nuts, citrus peel and spice; usually served in celebration of weddings and Christmas.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

A crazy or eccentric person.

Colloquial; Countable; Derogatory; Uncountable

noun

A homosexual male.

American usage; Colloquial; Countable; Dated; Derogatory; Slang

Example Sentences

"Easy, feller, easy. She's a fruitcake."
"One of the loafers kept calling down, "Hey you, Blondie, you like fruitcake kids like that?""
""Ukip is sort of a bunch of … fruitcakes and loonies and closet racists mostly," Mr Cameron told LBC radio."

Etymology

Compound of fruit + cake. First attested in c. 1687. Sense 2, predated by nutty as a fruitcake, was first attested in c. 1952.

Origin

First known use: First attested in c. 1687

Regional Pronunciation

British English: /ˈfɹuːt.keɪk/

Usage

Inflected Forms

fruitcakes (plural) fruit-cake (alternative) fruit cake (alternative)

Derived Forms

fruitcakey

Phrases

mince pie

Frequently Paired Words

mince pie

Synonyms

fruit crackpot crank nut nut case screwball

Questions

How do you pronounce fruitcake?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈfɹuːt.keɪk/.
What does fruitcake mean?: A cake containing dried fruits and, optionally, nuts, citrus peel and spice; usually served in celebration of weddings and Christmas.
Where does fruitcake come from?: First known use: First attested in c. 1687.

How to pronounce fruitcake

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “fruitcake”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈfɹuːt.keɪk/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “fruitcake”.
Repeat and practice — Say “fruitcake” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.