Which to use
“undue” and “unique” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #20,003
- “undue” frequency rank
- #1,845
- “unique” frequency rank
- 21848
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | undue | unique |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Excessive; going beyond that what is natural or sufficient. | Being the only one of its kind; unequaled, unparalleled or unmatched. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set undue and unique apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. undue (/ʌnˈdjuː/) and unique (/juːˈniːk/) 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 21848, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
undue is recorded at frequency rank #20,003, classified as anadj, pronounced /ʌnˈdjuː/. unique is at rank #1,845, tagged as anadj, pronounced /juːˈniːk/.
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 21848, this pair ranks #420,901 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of undue vs unique
Shared letters: enu. Private to "undue": d. Private to "unique": iq.
"undue" · 5 letters · shape VCCVV · "unique" · 6 letters · shape VCVCVV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "undue" and "unique" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "undue" or "unique"?
Remembering undue vs unique
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 “undue” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable