uncommon

/ʌnˈkɒmən/

//ʌnˈkɒmən// adj

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

"uncommon" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“uncommon” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #8,738. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#8,738
frequency rank, English
1,433
“U” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Rare; not readily found; unusual.

Corpus desk

Index EN-uncommon · uncommon · English

uncommon · rank #8,738 · 10 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-COMMON #8,738
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,433
  • PHOTO-FINISH unaware

Nearest frequency peer: unaware (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “uncommon”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “uncommon” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

uncommon vs uncommonly
80% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for uncommon
PropertyValue
Headworduncommon
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ʌnˈkɒmən/
Letters8
Frequency rank#8,738
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “uncommon”

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).uncommonlands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “unaware” (#8,737), “underway” (#8,739), “unacceptable” (#8,736). Among 1,433 “U” headwords, “uncommon” is #8,738. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around uncommon (IPA /ʌnˈkɒmən/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #8,738 among 1,433 “U” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for uncommon, with forms such as "nucommon", "ucnommon", and "unccommon". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "uncommonly", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From un- + common. The correct English form is uncommon, spelled U-N-C-O-M-M-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Rare; not readily found; unusual.
  2. 2
    Remarkable; exceptional.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Bald eagles are an uncommon sighting in this state.
  2. This is not an uncommon practice.

Etymology

From un- + common.

Synonyms

infrequentraresomescarcerare

This word in other languages

extraño(Español)ungebräuchlich(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • nucommon
  • ucnommon
  • unccommon
  • uncmomon
  • uncommno
  • uncommonn
  • uncomomn
  • uncomon
  • unncommon
  • unocmmon

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of uncommon - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

nucommon2ucnommon2unccommon1uncmomon2uncommno2uncommonn1uncomomn2uncomon1
Edit distance from "uncommon"

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 "uncommon"?
"uncommon" is spelled U-N-C-O-M-M-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ʌnˈkɒmən/.
What does "uncommon" mean?
As an adjective, "uncommon" means: Rare; not readily found; unusual.
What words are commonly confused with "uncommon"?
"uncommon" is commonly confused with "uncommonly". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "uncommon"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "uncommon" is /ʌnˈkɒmən/. 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 "uncommon"?
From un- + common. 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 "uncommon", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

underway#8,739unstable#8,741upstairs#8,742autonomy#8,756

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

Alberta10 variantsReuters10 variantsbooking10 variantscurtain10 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list