uncial
un·ci·al/ˈʌn.si.əl/adjective, noun
uncial is spelled U-N-C-I-A-L: 6 letters and 3 syllables (un·ci·al). It appears about once in every 20 million words in written English, the 134,976th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, uncial means “Of or relating to an ounce, or an inch, especially to letters printed an inch high” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in uncial?
| Letters | 6: U-N-C-I-A-L |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3: un·ci·al |
| In writing | about once in every 20 million words; the 134,976th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is uncial?
Uncial appears about once in every 20 million words in written English, the 134,976th 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 uncial?
- /ˈʌn.si.əl/
Uncial has 3 syllables, split un·ci·al in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-uncial.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of uncial
- more uncial comparative
- most uncial superlative
- uncials plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does uncial mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
rareOf or relating to an ounce, or an inch, especially to letters printed an inch high.
- 2
Of or relating to a majuscule style of writing with unjoined, rounded letters, originally used in the 4th–9th centuries.
noun
- 1
A style of writing using uncial letters.
- 2
A letter in this style.
- 3
A manuscript in this style.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Uncial in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
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 uncial come from?
Attested 1650, from Latin ū̆ncia (“a twelfth part, ounce, inch”) + -al.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).