unfähig
[ˈʊnˌfɛːɪç]
The verdict
“unfähig” is a moderately-common German word, ranked #10,957 in German word frequency and used as an adjective.
- #10,957
- frequency rank, German
- 7
- letters
- 10
- tracked misspellings
- 5
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - nicht die nötigen Kenntnisse oder Fertigkeiten für die Erfüllung einer Aufgabe habend; einer Tätigkeit nicht gewachsen
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | unfähig |
| Language | German |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | [ˈʊnˌfɛːɪç] |
| Letters | 7 |
| Frequency rank | #10,957 |
| Misspellings tracked | 10 |
| Confusable pairs | 5 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “unfähig” sits in German frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The German entry for unfähig is 7 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ˈʊnˌfɛːɪç]. Corpus data places it at rank #10,957 in overall German word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for unfähig, with forms such as "nufähig", "ufnähig", and "unffähig". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 5 confusable-pair relationships, "unfair", "unruhig", "untätig", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.
This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct German form is unfähig, spelled U-N-F-Ä-H-I-G.
Definition
- 1nicht die nötigen Kenntnisse oder Fertigkeiten für die Erfüllung einer Aufgabe habend; einer Tätigkeit nicht gewachsen
- 2(zeitlich begrenzt) außerstande, etwas bestimmtes zu tun; eine bestimmte Tat nicht mit sich vereinbaren könnend
Synonyms
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: nufähig,ufnähig,unffähig,unfhäig,unfähgi,unfähhig,unfähigg,unfäihg,unnfähig,unäfhig
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of unfähig - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 German corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you spell "unfähig"?
What does "unfähig" mean?
What words are commonly confused with "unfähig"?
How do you pronounce "unfähig"?
What language does "unfähig" come from?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “unfähig”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct German spelling is U-N-F-Ä-H-I-G - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as [ˈʊnˌfɛːɪç] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “unfair” - see the side-by-side comparison. unfähig vs unfair
- Browse more German words and confusable pairs in the same reference. German 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.