uncharacteristic

adj

"uncharacteristic" is a 16-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“uncharacteristic” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #48,541 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.

#48,541
frequency rank, English
16
letters
25
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Not characteristic.

Key facts for uncharacteristic
PropertyValue
Headworduncharacteristic
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
Letters16
Frequency rank#48,541
Misspellings tracked25
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “uncharacteristic” 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). uncharacteristic 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 uncharacteristic is 16 letters long, classified as an adjective. Corpus data places it at rank #48,541 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 25 likely wrong-spelling variants for uncharacteristic, with forms such as "nucharacteristic", "ucnharacteristic", and "uncahracteristic". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From un- + characteristic. The correct English form is uncharacteristic, spelled U-N-C-H-A-R-A-C-T-E-R-I-S-T-I-C.

Definition

  1. 1
    Not characteristic.
  2. 2
    Out of character; behavior that is unusual for a given person or thing.

Etymology

From un- + characteristic.

Synonyms

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: nucharacteristic,ucnharacteristic,uncahracteristic,unccharacteristic,unchaarcteristic,uncharaccteristic,uncharacetristic,uncharacteirstic,uncharacterisitc,uncharacterisstic,uncharacteristci,uncharacteristicc,uncharacteristtic,uncharacteritsic,uncharacterristic,uncharactersitic,uncharactreistic,uncharactteristic,uncharatceristic,uncharcateristic,uncharracteristic,unchharacteristic,unchraacteristic,unhcaracteristic,unncharacteristic

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of uncharacteristic - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

nucharacteristic2ucnharacteristic2uncahracteristic2unccharacteristic1unchaarcteristic2uncharaccteristic1uncharacetristic2uncharacteirstic2
Edit distance from "uncharacteristic"

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 "uncharacteristic"?
"uncharacteristic" is spelled U-N-C-H-A-R-A-C-T-E-R-I-S-T-I-C.
What does "uncharacteristic" mean?
As an adjective, "uncharacteristic" means: Not characteristic.
What are common misspellings of "uncharacteristic"?
Common misspellings include "nucharacteristic", "ucnharacteristic", "uncahracteristic", "unccharacteristic", "unchaarcteristic". The correct spelling is "uncharacteristic".
What is the origin of the word "uncharacteristic"?
From un- + characteristic. 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 “uncharacteristic”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is U-N-C-H-A-R-A-C-T-E-R-I-S-T-I-C - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • 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