unclean
/ʌnˈkliːn/adjective
unclean is spelled U-N-C-L-E-A-N: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 1.1 times per million words in written English, the 26,776th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, unclean means “Dirty, soiled or foul” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in unclean?
| Letters | 7: U-N-C-L-E-A-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.1 times per million words; the 26,776th 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 unclean?
Unclean appears 1.1 times per million words in written English, the 26,776th 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 unclean?
- /ʌnˈkliːn/
Unclean has 2 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: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-unclean.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of unclean
- uncleaner comparative
- uncleanest superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does unclean mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Dirty, soiled or foul.
- 2
Not moral or chaste.
- 3
Ritually or ceremonially impure or unfit.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Unclean 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 unclean come from?
From Middle English unclene, from Old English unclǣne, equivalent to un- + clean.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).