misunderstanding
mis·un·der·stand·ing/ˌmɪsʌndɚˈstændɪŋ/noun, verb
misunderstanding is spelled M-I-S-U-N-D-E-R-S-T-A-N-D-I-N-G: 16 letters and 5 syllables (mis·un·der·stand·ing). It appears 5.0 times per million words in written English, the 11,198th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, misunderstanding means “A mistake as to the meaning of something or a specific point of view; erroneous interpretation or comprehension; misconception” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of misunderstanding is misunderstandings.
How many letters and syllables are in misunderstanding?
| Letters | 16: M-I-S-U-N-D-E-R-S-T-A-N-D-I-N-G |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 5: mis·un·der·stand·ing |
| In writing | 5.0 times per million words; the 11,198th 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; 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 misunderstanding?
Misunderstanding appears 5.0 times per million words in written English, the 11,198th 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 misunderstanding?
- UK /ˌmɪsʌndəˈstændɪŋ/
- US /ˌmɪsʌndɚˈstændɪŋ/
Misunderstanding has 5 syllables, split mis·un·der·stand·ing in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-misunderstanding.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with misunderstanding?
6 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as misunderstanding from its last stressed vowel (/ændɪŋ/):
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 misunderstanding
- misunderstandings plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does misunderstanding mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A mistake as to the meaning of something or a specific point of view; erroneous interpretation or comprehension; misconception.
The worst distance between two people is misunderstanding. - Thoughtkick
- 2
A disagreement; difference of opinion; dissension; quarrel.
verb
- 1
present participle and gerund of misunderstand
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Misunderstanding in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense mistake:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | malentendu, quiproquo |
| German | Missverständnis |
| Portuguese | mal-entendido, confusão |
| Spanish | malentendido |
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 misunderstanding come from?
From Middle English mys undirstonding, equivalent to misunderstand + -ing. Compare Dutch misverstand (“misunderstanding”), German Missverständnis (“misunderstanding”), Swedish missförstånd (“misunderstanding”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).