ugly

/ˈʌɡli/

//ˈʌɡli// adj

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"ugly" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“ugly” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #3,535 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.

#3,535
frequency rank, English
4
letters
6
tracked misspellings
8
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Displeasing to the eye; aesthetically unpleasing.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

ugly vs URL
0% similar
ugly vs Ulm
25% similar
ugly vs UNLV
0% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for ugly
PropertyValue
Headwordugly
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈʌɡli/
Letters4
Frequency rank#3,535
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs8
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “ugly” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). ugly lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for ugly is 4 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈʌɡli/. Corpus data places it at rank #3,535 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for ugly, with forms such as "guly", "uggly", and "uglly". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 8 confusable-pair relationships, "URL", "Ulm", "UNLV", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Inherited from Middle English ugly, uggely, uglike, borrowed from Old Norse uggligr (“fearful, dreadful, horrible in appearance”), from uggr (“fear, apprehension, dread”) (possibly related to agg (“strife, hate”)), equivalent to ug + -ly. Cognate with Scots… The correct English form is ugly, spelled U-G-L-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Displeasing to the eye; aesthetically unpleasing.
  2. 2
    Displeasing to the ear or some other sense.
  3. 3
    Offensive to one's sensibilities or morality.
  4. 4
    Ill-natured; crossgrained; quarrelsome.
  5. 5
    Unpleasant; disagreeable; likely to cause trouble or loss.

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English ugly, uggely, uglike, borrowed from Old Norse uggligr (“fearful, dreadful, horrible in appearance”), from uggr (“fear, apprehension, dread”) (possibly related to agg (“strife, hate”)), equivalent to ug + -ly. Cognate with Scots ugly, uglie, Icelandic ugglegur. Meaning softened to "very unpleasant to look at" around the late 14th century, and sense of "morally offensive" attested from around 1300. For the meaning development compare Bulgarian грозен (grozen) (< Proto-Slavic *grozьnъ), Russian стра́шный (strášnyj) (< Proto-Slavic *strašьnъ < *straxъ); Latin foedus (< Proto-Indo-European *bʰeyh₂-).

Synonyms

hideoushomelyrepulsiveunattractiveuncomelyunsightlydispleasingrepulsiveunattractivecorruptimmoralvilebadbeatbuttersbutt-uglyclappedcoyote uglydeformfuckfacedfuglylike the back end of a busplug-uglyuglyugly as sinunpretty

Antonyms

attractivebeautifulgorgeoushandsomeprettysightlyattractivepleasingmoralcomelygood-lookingnice

This word in other languages

feo(Español)laid(Français)hässlich(Deutsch)feio(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: guly,uggly,uglly,uglyy,ugyl,ulgy

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of ugly - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

guly2uggly1uglly1uglyy1ugyl2ulgy2
Edit distance from "ugly"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "ugly"?
"ugly" is spelled U-G-L-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈʌɡli/.
What does "ugly" mean?
As an adjective, "ugly" means: Displeasing to the eye; aesthetically unpleasing.
What words are commonly confused with "ugly"?
"ugly" is commonly confused with "URL", "Ulm", "UNLV". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "ugly"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ugly" is /ˈʌɡli/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "ugly"?
Inherited from Middle English ugly, uggely, uglike, borrowed from Old Norse uggligr (“fearful, dreadful, horrible in appearance”), from uggr (“fear, apprehension, dread”) (possibly related to agg (“strife, hate”)), equivalent to ug + -ly. Cognate ... See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “ugly”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is U-G-L-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈʌɡli/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “URL” - see the side-by-side comparison. ugly vs URL
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list