misunderstand
/mɪs.ʌn.də(ɹ)ˈstænd/verb
misunderstand is spelled M-I-S-U-N-D-E-R-S-T-A-N-D: 13 letters and 4 syllables. It appears 1.4 times per million words in written English, the 23,835th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, misunderstand means “To understand incorrectly, while believing one has understood correctly” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in misunderstand?
| Letters | 13: M-I-S-U-N-D-E-R-S-T-A-N-D |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.4 times per million words; the 23,835th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is misunderstand?
Misunderstand appears 1.4 times per million words in written English, the 23,835th 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 misunderstand?
- UK /mɪs.ʌn.də(ɹ)ˈstænd/
- UK /mɪs.ʌn.dɚˈstænd/
Misunderstand has 4 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-misunderstand.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Wodencafe-misunderstand.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with misunderstand?
8 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as misunderstand from its last stressed vowel (/ænd/, British pronunciation):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of misunderstand
- misunderstands present, singular, he/she/it
- misunderstanding participle, present
- misunderstood participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does misunderstand mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To understand incorrectly, while believing one has understood correctly.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Misunderstand in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense to understand incorrectly, while believing one has understood correctly:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | mal interpréter, méprendre, mécomprendre |
| German | missverstehen, falsch verstehen |
| Portuguese | entender mal |
| Spanish | malentender, tomarlo mal (a) |
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 misunderstand come from?
From Middle English mys-understanden, equivalent to mis- + understand.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).