Which to use
“unto” is a conjunction and “untold” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #7,633
- “unto” frequency rank
- #19,239
- “untold” frequency rank
- 26872
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | unto | untold |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Up to the time or degree that; until. | Not told; not related; not revealed; secret. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set unto and untold 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: unto is /ˈʌntʊ/ while untold is /ʌnˈtəʊld/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “unto” sits inside “untold”, and the parts of speech differ too (conjunction vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 26872, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
unto is recorded at frequency rank #7,633, classified as aconj, pronounced /ˈʌntʊ/. untold is at rank #19,239, tagged as anadj, pronounced /ʌnˈtəʊld/.
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 26872, this pair ranks #383,400 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of unto vs untold
Shared letters: notu. Private to "unto": -. Private to "untold": dl.
"unto" · 4 letters · shape VCCV · "untold" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "unto" and "untold" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "unto" or "untold"?
Remembering unto vs untold
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a conjunction, it's “unto”; for an adjective, it's “untold”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “unto” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable