# unclear

> English word · Adjective · IPA /ʌnˈklɪə(ɹ)/ · frequency rank #7,994

## Definitions
1. Ambiguous; liable to more than one interpretation.
2. Not clearly or explicitly defined.
3. Not easy to see or read; indecipherable or unreadable.
4. Not having a clear idea; uncertain.

## Etymology
From Middle English unclere, equivalent to un- + clear. Compare Saterland Frisian uunkloor (“unclear”), West Frisian ûnklear (“inoperative, broken”), Dutch onklaar (“out of order, defective, broken”), German unklar (“unclear”), Danish uklar (“unclear”), Swedish oklar (“unclear”).

## Easily confused with
- **uncle** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/uncle-vs-unclear)
- **unclean** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/unclean-vs-unclear)

## Common misspellings (9)
`ucnlear`, `uncclear`, `uncelar`, `unclaer`, `unclearr`, `unclera`, `uncllear`, `unlcear`, `unnclear`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-09-03.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/unclear