Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

periodical cicada

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.40 in modern English

Syllables: pe-ri-od-i-cal -ci-ca-da
IPA

26

Scrabble Score

16

Letters

8

Syllables

9

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Any of certain species of cicadas, especially in genus Magicicada, which are known for their 17- and 13-year life-cycles, during most of which they develop underground, emerging in large numbers for a short time as large and audible adults, all those emerging in a year constituting a brood.

Example Sentences

"An emergence is when a throng of periodical cicadas rises from the ground as soon as the soil reaches about 64 degrees Fahrenheit. The groups of magicicadas, known as broods, surface only once every 13 or 17 years depending on the species."

Inflected Forms

periodical cicadas (plural)

Frequently Paired Words

eclosion

Synonyms

seventeen-year locust magicicada septendecim

Questions

What does periodical cicada mean?: Any of certain species of cicadas, especially in genus Magicicada, which are known for their 17- and 13-year life-cycles, during most of which they develop underground, emerging in large numbers for a short time as large and audible adults, all those emerging in a year constituting a brood.

How to pronounce periodical cicada

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