unction
/ˈʌŋk.ʃən/
"unction" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“unction” is uncommon English (frequency #94,382 among 1,433 “U” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- #94,382
- frequency rank, English
- 1,433
- “U” headwords
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An ointment or salve.
Corpus desk
Index EN-unction · unction · English
unction · rank #94,382 · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-RARE #94,382
- LEN-LONG 7 letters
- VOW-3 3 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-MID 1,433
- PHOTO-FINISH unbox
Nearest frequency peer: unbox (-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 “unction”
Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter
- unbox
unbox
5,620 corpus weight
- unction
unction
5,619 corpus weight
- undeliverab…
undeliverable
5,618 corpus weight
- understudied
understudied
5,617 corpus weight
- unfastened
unfastened
5,616 corpus weight
- unframed
unframed
5,615 corpus weight
What this shows Long-tail view: where “unction” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | unction |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈʌŋk.ʃən/ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Frequency rank | #94,382 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “unction” in English
Rare enough to double-check
unction is uncommon English at frequency #94,382 among 1,433 “U” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈʌŋk.ʃən/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 6 senses are on record.
The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for unction, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Latin unctiō. The correct English form is unction, spelled U-N-C-T-I-O-N.
Definition
- 1An ointment or salve.
- 2A religious or ceremonial anointing.
- 3A balm or something that soothes.
- 4A quality in language, address or delivery which expresses sober and fervent emotion.
- 5Unctuousness: A smug, exaggerated use of language; smarminess.
- 6Divine or sanctifying grace.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how unction appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
The King himſelf the ſacred Unction made, / As King by Office, and as Prieſt by Trade: […]
To be heir, and to be king / By sacred unction, thy deserved right.
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin unctiō.
This word in other languages
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
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Similar English words by spelling shape
Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "unction", not the corpus desk frequency band.
Same letter count
Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).