uncharacteristically

/ʌnˌkɛɹəktəˈɹɪstɪk(ə)li/

//ʌnˌkɛɹəktəˈɹɪstɪk(ə)li// adv

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"uncharacteristically" is a 20-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“uncharacteristically” is uncommon English (frequency #51,471 among 1,433 “U” headwords), classed as an adverb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#51,471
frequency rank, English
1,433
“U” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - In an uncharacteristic manner.

Corpus desk

Index EN-uncharacteristically · uncharacteristically · English

uncharacteristically · rank #51,471 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #51,471
  • LEN-MEGA 20 letters
  • VOW-8 8 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,433
  • PHOTO-FINISH unbelief

Nearest frequency peer: unbelief (-1 rank slots)

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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “uncharacteristically”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “uncharacteristically” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for uncharacteristically
PropertyValue
Headworduncharacteristically
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdverb
IPA/ʌnˌkɛɹəktəˈɹɪstɪk(ə)li/
Letters20
Frequency rank#51,471
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “uncharacteristically” sits in English frequency

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).uncharacteristicallylands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “unbelief” (#51,470), “undid” (#51,473), “UCSB” (#51,468). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

uncharacteristically is uncommon English at frequency #51,471 among 1,433 “U” headwords, classed as anadverb, transcribed /ʌnˌkɛɹəktəˈɹɪstɪk(ə)li/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "In an uncharacteristic manner.".

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for uncharacteristically, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

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

Definition

  1. 1
    In an uncharacteristic manner.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. This newfound infatuation renders Bart uncharacteristically vulnerable. He suddenly has something to care about beyond causing trouble and makes a dramatic transformation from hell-raiser to gentleman about town.

Etymology

From uncharacteristic + -ally.

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 "uncharacteristically"?
"uncharacteristically" is spelled U-N-C-H-A-R-A-C-T-E-R-I-S-T-I-C-A-L-L-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ʌnˌkɛɹəktəˈɹɪstɪk(ə)li/.
What does "uncharacteristically" mean?
As an adverb, "uncharacteristically" means: In an uncharacteristic manner.
How do you pronounce "uncharacteristically"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "uncharacteristically" is /ʌnˌkɛɹəktəˈɹɪstɪk(ə)li/. 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 "uncharacteristically"?
From uncharacteristic + -ally. 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "uncharacteristically", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 20 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

internationalization#49,429institutionalization#64,447electrophysiological#83,214immunohistochemistry#83,366

What to do next

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  • Usage frequency rank #51,471 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
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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