uncanny
/ʌnˈkæni/adjective, noun
uncanny is spelled U-N-C-A-N-N-Y: 7 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 2.1 times per million words in written English, the 18,811th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, uncanny means “Strange, and mysteriously unsettling (as if supernatural); weird” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in uncanny?
| Letters | 7: U-N-C-A-N-N-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 2.1 times per million words; the 18,811th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is uncanny?
Uncanny appears 2.1 times per million words in written English, the 18,811th 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 uncanny?
- US /ʌnˈkæni/
Uncanny has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-uncanny.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of uncanny
- uncannier comparative
- uncanniest superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does uncanny mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Strange, and mysteriously unsettling (as if supernatural); weird.
He bore an uncanny resemblance to the dead sailor.
- 2
UKCareless.
noun
- 1
Something that is simultaneously familiar and strange, typically leading to feelings of discomfort.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Uncanny in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | déroutant, déroutante, étrange, troublant , inquiétante étrangeté |
| German | unheimlich, gruselig, seltsam, verstörend, verblüffend, frappierend |
| Portuguese | estranho, perturbador |
| Spanish | inquietante, espeluznante, escalofriante |
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 uncanny come from?
From un- + canny; thus “beyond one's ken,” or outside one's familiar knowledge or perceptions. Compare Middle English unkanne (“unknown”). In the noun sense a translation of Sigmund Freud's usage of German unheimlich (Das Unheimliche, 1919).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).