infortunate
"infortunate" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“infortunate” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 11
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Unfortunate, unlucky.
Corpus desk
Index EN-infortunate · infortunate · English
infortunate · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-MEGA 11 letters
- VOW-5 5 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "I" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern
Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | infortunate |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| Letters | 11 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “infortunate” in English
Rare enough to double-check
infortunate is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.
We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for infortunate, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.
Etymologically, the entry records: The adjective is first attested circa 1390, in Middle English, the verb in 1570; inherited from Middle English infortunat(e), borrowed from Latin infortūnātus, see -ate (etymology 1, 2 and 3). Doublet of unfortunate. The correct English form is infortunate, spelled I-N-F-O-R-T-U-N-A-T-E.
Definition
- 1Unfortunate, unlucky.
- 2(of a star, planet, etc.) Bringing bad luck, causing misfortune, malevolent.
- 3Ominous, inauspicious.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how infortunate appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
Henry, though he be infortunate
That infortunate imperfit Embrion of my idle houres the Ile of Dogs before mentioned, breeding vnto me ſuch bitter throwes in the teaming as it did, and the tempeſtes that aroſe at his birth, ſo aſtoniſhing outragious and violent as if my braine had bene conceiued of another Hercules, I was ſo terrifyed with my owne encreaſe (like a woman long trauailing…
Etymology
The adjective is first attested circa 1390, in Middle English, the verb in 1570; inherited from Middle English infortunat(e), borrowed from Latin infortūnātus, see -ate (etymology 1, 2 and 3). Doublet of unfortunate.
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.