Which to use
“unease” is a noun and “uneasy” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #38,218
- “unease” frequency rank
- #16,154
- “uneasy” frequency rank
- 54372
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | unease | uneasy |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Trouble; misery; a feeling of disquiet or concern. | Not easy; difficult. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set unease and uneasy apart are highlighted. They share 5 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: unease is /ʌnˈiːz/ while uneasy is /ʌnˈiːzi/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - e in “unease” becomes y in “uneasy”, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 54372, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
unease is recorded at frequency rank #38,218, classified as anoun, pronounced /ʌnˈiːz/. uneasy is at rank #16,154, tagged as anadj, pronounced /ʌnˈiːzi/.
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 54372, this pair ranks #141,580 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of unease vs uneasy
Shared letters: aensu. Private to "unease": -. Private to "uneasy": y.
"unease" · 6 letters · shape VCVVCV · "uneasy" · 6 letters · shape VCVVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "unease" and "uneasy" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "unease" or "uneasy"?
Remembering unease vs uneasy
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “unease”; for an adjective, it's “uneasy”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “unease” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable