unabashedvsunabatedWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“unabashed” and “unabated” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#47,392
“unabashed” frequency rank
#41,443
“unabated” frequency rank
88835
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature unabashed unabated
Definition Not disconcerted or embarrassed. Continuing at full strength or intensity.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set unabashed and unabated apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch
unabashed
8 ch
unabated

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. unabashed (/ˌʌnəˈbæʃt/) and unabated (/ʌn.əˈbeɪ.tɪd/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 88835, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

unabashed is recorded at frequency rank #47,392, classified as anadj, pronounced /ˌʌnəˈbæʃt/. unabated is at rank #41,443, tagged as anadj, pronounced /ʌn.əˈbeɪ.tɪd/.

Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.

With a confusion score of 88835, this pair ranks #5,851 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of unabashed vs unabated

Shared letters: abdenu. Private to "unabashed": hs. Private to "unabated": t.

"unabashed" · 9 letters · shape VCVCVCCVC  ·  "unabated" · 8 letters · shape VCVCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • unabashednuabashed · uanbashed · unaabshed · unabahsed · unabasehd · unabashde · unabashedd · unabashhed
  • unabatednuabated · uanbated · unaabted · unabaetd · unabatde · unabatedd · unabatted · unabbated

Frequency comparison

unabashed#47,392
unabated#41,443

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "unabashed" and "unabated" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (/ˌʌnəˈbæʃt/ versus /ʌn.əˈbeɪ.tɪd/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "unabashed" or "unabated"?
"unabated" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #41,443 in our English list, against #47,392 for "unabashed". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering unabashed vs unabated

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “unabashed” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list