unbowsome

/ʌnˈbaʊsəm/

//ʌnˈbaʊsəm// adj

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

The verdict

“unbowsome” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
9
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Unbending, not bending, not shifting.

Corpus desk

Index EN-unbowsome · unbowsome · English

unbowsome · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "U" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Key facts for unbowsome
PropertyValue
Headwordunbowsome
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ʌnˈbaʊsəm/
Letters9
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “unbowsome” in English

unbowsomeranks outside the top 100,000 English headwords, in the long tail of specialist, archaic, or seldom-used vocabulary, exactly the territory where a reader stops mid-sentence to double-check spelling.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

unbowsome is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ʌnˈbaʊsəm/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for unbowsome, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: Inherited from Northern Middle English unbowsom (non-Northern unbuxom); equivalent to un- + bowsome or buxom. The correct English form is unbowsome, spelled U-N-B-O-W-S-O-M-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Unbending, not bending, not shifting.
  2. 2
    Uncompliant, disobedient, steadfast

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

These source excerpts show how unbowsome appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Will Martin, with a lisping unbowsome tongue, addressed the one next to him to the following effect.

Etymology

Inherited from Northern Middle English unbowsom (non-Northern unbuxom); equivalent to un- + bowsome or buxom.

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "unbowsome"?
"unbowsome" is spelled U-N-B-O-W-S-O-M-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ʌnˈbaʊsəm/.
What does "unbowsome" mean?
As an adjective, "unbowsome" means: Unbending, not bending, not shifting.
How do you pronounce "unbowsome"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "unbowsome" is /ʌnˈbaʊsəm/. 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 "unbowsome"?
Inherited from Northern Middle English unbowsom (non-Northern unbuxom); equivalent to un- + bowsome or buxom. 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list