unauthorised

adj

"unauthorised" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“unauthorised” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #28,775 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.

#28,775
frequency rank, English
12
letters
17
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Alternative spelling of unauthorized.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

unauthorised vs unauthorized
92% similar

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

Key facts for unauthorised
PropertyValue
Headwordunauthorised
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
Letters12
Frequency rank#28,775
Misspellings tracked17
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “unauthorised” 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). unauthorised 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 unauthorised is 12 letters long, classified as an adjective. Corpus data places it at rank #28,775 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "Alternative spelling of unauthorized.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 17 likely wrong-spelling variants for unauthorised, with forms such as "nuauthorised", "uanuthorised", and "unatuhorised". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "unauthorized", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From un- + authorised. The correct English form is unauthorised, spelled U-N-A-U-T-H-O-R-I-S-E-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    Alternative spelling of unauthorized.

Etymology

From un- + authorised.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: nuauthorised,uanuthorised,unatuhorised,unauhtorised,unauthhorised,unauthoirsed,unauthoriesd,unauthorisde,unauthorisedd,unauthorissed,unauthorrised,unauthorsied,unauthroised,unautohrised,unautthorised,unnauthorised,unuathorised

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of unauthorised - 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.

nuauthorised2uanuthorised2unatuhorised2unauhtorised2unauthhorised1unauthoirsed2unauthoriesd2unauthorisde2
Edit distance from "unauthorised"

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 "unauthorised"?
"unauthorised" is spelled U-N-A-U-T-H-O-R-I-S-E-D.
What does "unauthorised" mean?
As an adjective, "unauthorised" means: Alternative spelling of unauthorized.
What words are commonly confused with "unauthorised"?
"unauthorised" is commonly confused with "unauthorized". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
What is the origin of the word "unauthorised"?
From un- + authorised. 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 “unauthorised”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is U-N-A-U-T-H-O-R-I-S-E-D - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Don't mix it up with “unauthorized” - see the side-by-side comparison. unauthorised vs unauthorized
  • 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