# undead

> English word · Adjective · IPA /ʌnˈdɛd/ · frequency rank #20,528

## Definitions
1. Not dead; alive.
2. Pertaining to a corpse, though having qualities of life.
3. Being animate, though non-living.

## Etymology
From Middle English undede, equivalent to un- + dead. The first attestation is from around 1400. The term was revived, popularized, and imbued with supernatural connotations by its usage in Bram Stoker's novel Dracula (1897).

## Easily confused with
- **under** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/undead-vs-under)
- **unreal** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/undead-vs-unreal)
- **unload** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/undead-vs-unload)
- **unread** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/undead-vs-unread)
- **unseat** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/undead-vs-unseat)
- **unheard** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/undead-vs-unheard)

## Common misspellings (8)
`nudead`, `udnead`, `undaed`, `unddead`, `undeadd`, `undeda`, `unedad`, `unndead`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/undead