uncouth

/ʌnˈkuːθ/

//ʌnˈkuːθ// adj

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

"uncouth" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“uncouth” is uncommon English (frequency #52,067 among 1,433 “U” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#52,067
frequency rank, English
1,433
“U” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Unfamiliar, strange, foreign.

Corpus desk

Index EN-uncouth · uncouth · English

uncouth · rank #52,067 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #52,067
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,433
  • PHOTO-FINISH underutilized

Nearest frequency peer: underutilized (+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.

Long-tail ranks near “uncouth”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “uncouth” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for uncouth
PropertyValue
Headworduncouth
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ʌnˈkuːθ/
Letters7
Frequency rank#52,067
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “uncouth” in English

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).uncouthfalls in this rarity band:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “underutilized” (#52,068), “turnoff” (#52,065), “unexploded” (#52,069). Among 1,433 “U” headwords, “uncouth” is #52,067. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

uncouth is uncommon English at frequency #52,067 among 1,433 “U” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ʌnˈkuːθ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for uncouth in our index, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English uncouth, from Old English uncūþ (“unknown; unfamiliar; strange”), from Proto-West Germanic *unkunþ, from Proto-Germanic *unkunþaz (“unknown”), equivalent to un- + couth. The modern pronunciation does not show /aʊ/, the usual development … The correct English form is uncouth, spelled U-N-C-O-U-T-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    Unfamiliar, strange, foreign.
  2. 2
    Clumsy, awkward.
  3. 3
    Unrefined, crude.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. If this uncouth forest yield anything savage, I will either be food for it or bring it for food to thee.
  2. The trouble of thy thoughts this night in sleep Affects me equally; nor can I like This uncouth' dream, of evil sprung I fear […]

Etymology

From Middle English uncouth, from Old English uncūþ (“unknown; unfamiliar; strange”), from Proto-West Germanic *unkunþ, from Proto-Germanic *unkunþaz (“unknown”), equivalent to un- + couth. The modern pronunciation does not show /aʊ/, the usual development of the Middle English vowel from the Great Vowel Shift. It is usually explained as a pronunciation taken from Northern English dialects, which did not undergo the diphthongization of the vowel.

This word in other languages

extraño(Español)étranger(Français)fremd(Deutsch)esquisito(Português)

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 "uncouth"?
"uncouth" is spelled U-N-C-O-U-T-H. The IPA pronunciation is /ʌnˈkuːθ/.
What does "uncouth" mean?
As an adjective, "uncouth" means: Unfamiliar, strange, foreign.
How do you pronounce "uncouth"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "uncouth" is /ʌnˈkuːθ/. 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 "uncouth"?
From Middle English uncouth, from Old English uncūþ (“unknown; unfamiliar; strange”), from Proto-West Germanic *unkunþ, from Proto-Germanic *unkunþaz (“unknown”), equivalent to un- + couth. The modern pronunciation does not show /aʊ/, the usual de... 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 "uncouth", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

turnoff#52,065Tripura#52,058utensil#52,078Topanga#52,054

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list