Unkenntnis

[ˈʊnˌkɛntnɪs]

/[ˈʊnˌkɛntnɪs]/ noun

The verdict

“Unkenntnis” is a moderately-common German word, ranked #30,344 in German word frequency and used as a noun.

#30,344
frequency rank, German
10
letters
14
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - fehlendes Wissen über einen bestimmten Gegenstandsbereich, ein bestimmtes Fach/Berufsfeld

Key facts for Unkenntnis
PropertyValue
HeadwordUnkenntnis
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[ˈʊnˌkɛntnɪs]
Letters10
Frequency rank#30,344
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Unkenntnis” sits in German frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). Unkenntnis lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The German entry for Unkenntnis is 10 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ˈʊnˌkɛntnɪs]. Corpus data places it at rank #30,344 in overall German word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "fehlendes Wissen über einen bestimmten Gegenstandsbereich, ein bestimmtes Fach/Berufsfeld".

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for Unkenntnis, with forms such as "nukenntnis", "uknenntnis", and "uneknntnis". 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. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

This entry's etymology isn't recorded, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct German form is Unkenntnis, spelled U-N-K-E-N-N-T-N-I-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    fehlendes Wissen über einen bestimmten Gegenstandsbereich, ein bestimmtes Fach/Berufsfeld

Synonyms

Antonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: nukenntnis,uknenntnis,uneknntnis,unkennntis,unkenntins,unkenntniss,unkenntnnis,unkenntnsi,unkennttnis,unkentnis,unkentnnis,unkkenntnis,unknentnis,unnkenntnis

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of Unkenntnis - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

nukenntnis2uknenntnis2uneknntnis2unkennntis2unkenntins2unkenntniss1unkenntnnis1unkenntnsi2
Edit distance from "Unkenntnis"

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 "Unkenntnis"?
"Unkenntnis" is spelled U-N-K-E-N-N-T-N-I-S. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈʊnˌkɛntnɪs].
What does "Unkenntnis" mean?
As a noun, "Unkenntnis" means: fehlendes Wissen über einen bestimmten Gegenstandsbereich, ein bestimmtes Fach/Berufsfeld
What are common misspellings of "Unkenntnis"?
Common misspellings include "nukenntnis", "uknenntnis", "uneknntnis", "unkennntis", "unkenntins". The correct spelling is "Unkenntnis".
How do you pronounce "Unkenntnis"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Unkenntnis" is [ˈʊnˌkɛntnɪs]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "Unkenntnis" come from?
"Unkenntnis" is a German word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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 “Unkenntnis”

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

  • The one correct German spelling is U-N-K-E-N-N-T-N-I-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [ˈʊnˌkɛntnɪs] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • 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.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list