involuntary
in·vol·un·ta·ry/ɪnˈvɑ.lənˌtɛɹ.i/adjective
involuntary is spelled I-N-V-O-L-U-N-T-A-R-Y: 11 letters and 5 syllables (in·vol·un·ta·ry). It appears 2.2 times per million words in written English, the 18,537th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, involuntary means “Without intention; unintentional” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in involuntary?
| Letters | 11: I-N-V-O-L-U-N-T-A-R-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 5: in·vol·un·ta·ry |
| In writing | 2.2 times per million words; the 18,537th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is involuntary?
Involuntary appears 2.2 times per million words in written English, the 18,537th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce involuntary?
- UK /ɪnˈvɒl.ən.tɹi/
- US /ɪnˈvɑ.lənˌtɛɹ.i/
- Canada /ɪnˈvɒl.ənˌtɛɹ.i/
Involuntary has 5 syllables, split in·vol·un·ta·ry in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-involuntary.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of involuntary
- more involuntary comparative
- most involuntary superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does involuntary mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Without intention; unintentional.
- 2
Not voluntary or willing; contrary or opposed to explicit will or desire; unwilling.
He found himself the involuntary witness in the trial.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Involuntary in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | involontaire |
| German | unabsichtlich, unwillkürlich, ungewollt , unfreiwillig, ohne es zu wollen |
| Portuguese | involuntário |
| Spanish | involuntario |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does involuntary come from?
From in- + voluntary, from Late Latin involontarius, from in + volontarius.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).