Which to use
“unduly” is an adverb and “unholy” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #29,875
- “unduly” frequency rank
- #26,645
- “unholy” frequency rank
- 56520
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | unduly | unholy |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Undeservedly; in a way that is not warranted. | Not holy; (by extension) evil, impure, or otherwise perverted. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set unduly and unholy apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: unduly is /ʌnˈdjuːli/ while unholy is /ʌnˈhəʊli/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (adverb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 56520, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
unduly is recorded at frequency rank #29,875, classified as anadv, pronounced /ʌnˈdjuːli/. unholy is at rank #26,645, tagged as anadj, pronounced /ʌnˈhəʊli/.
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 56520, this pair ranks #125,689 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of unduly vs unholy
Shared letters: lnuy. Private to "unduly": d. Private to "unholy": ho.
"unduly" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCV · "unholy" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "unduly" and "unholy" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "unduly" or "unholy"?
Remembering unduly vs unholy
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adverb, it's “unduly”; for an adjective, it's “unholy”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “unduly” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable