unbalance

/ʌnˈbæləns/

//ʌnˈbæləns// verb

"unbalance" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“unbalance” is uncommon English (frequency #66,370 among 23,789 “U” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#66,370
frequency rank, English
23,789
“U” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To cause to be out of balance.

Key facts for unbalance
PropertyValue
Headwordunbalance
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ʌnˈbæləns/
Letters9
Frequency rank#66,370
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “unbalance” 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). unbalance lands here:

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

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

Rare enough to double-check

unbalance is uncommon English at frequency #66,370 among 23,789 “U” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /ʌnˈbæləns/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "To cause to be out of balance.".

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for unbalance, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: From un- + balance. The correct English form is unbalance, spelled U-N-B-A-L-A-N-C-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To cause to be out of balance.

Etymology

From un- + balance.

This word in other languages

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 "unbalance"?
"unbalance" is spelled U-N-B-A-L-A-N-C-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ʌnˈbæləns/.
What does "unbalance" mean?
As a verb, "unbalance" means: To cause to be out of balance.
How do you pronounce "unbalance"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "unbalance" is /ʌnˈbæləns/. 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 "unbalance"?
From un- + balance. 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 “unbalance”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is U-N-B-A-L-A-N-C-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ʌnˈbæləns/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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