under

/ˈʌndə/

//ˈʌndə// prep

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

"under" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“under” is in the everyday core of English, ranked #180 in English word frequency and used as a preposition.

#180
frequency rank, English
5
letters
7
tracked misspellings
14
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Beneath; below; at or to the bottom of, or the area covered or surmounted by.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

under vs user
60% similar
under vs undo
60% similar
under vs upper
60% similar

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

Key facts for under
PropertyValue
Headwordunder
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechPreposition
IPA/ˈʌndə/
Letters5
Frequency rank#180
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs14
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “under” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). under lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for under is 5 letters long, classified as a preposition, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈʌndə/. Corpus data places it at rank #180 in overall English word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 9 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for under, with forms such as "nuder", "udner", and "undder". 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 14 confusable-pair relationships, "user", "undo", "upper", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English under, from Old English under, from Proto-West Germanic *undar, from Proto-Germanic *under, from a merger of Proto-Indo-European *(H)n̥dʰér (“under”) and *h₁entér (“inside”). Akin to German unter, Dutch onder, Danish and Norwegian under;… The correct English form is under, spelled U-N-D-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Beneath; below; at or to the bottom of, or the area covered or surmounted by.
  2. 2
    Beneath; below; at or to the bottom of, or the area covered or surmounted by.
  3. 3
    From one side of to the other, passing beneath.
  4. 4
    Less than.
  5. 5
    Subject to.
  6. 6
    Subject to.
  7. 7
    Within the category, classification or heading of.
  8. 8
    In the face of; in response to (some attacking force).
  9. 9
    Using or adopting (a name, identity, etc.).

Etymology

From Middle English under, from Old English under, from Proto-West Germanic *undar, from Proto-Germanic *under, from a merger of Proto-Indo-European *(H)n̥dʰér (“under”) and *h₁entér (“inside”). Akin to German unter, Dutch onder, Danish and Norwegian under; also Old High German untar (“under”), Sanskrit अन्तर् (antar, “within”), Latin infrā (“below, beneath”) and inter (“between, among”).

Synonyms

belowbeneathunderneath

Antonyms

aboveover

This word in other languages

bajo(Español)sous(Français)unter(Deutsch)debaixo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: nuder,udner,undder,underr,undre,unedr,unnder

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of under - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

nuder2udner2undder1underr1undre2unedr2unnder1
Edit distance from "under"

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 "under"?
"under" is spelled U-N-D-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈʌndə/.
What does "under" mean?
As a preposition, "under" means: Beneath; below; at or to the bottom of, or the area covered or surmounted by.
What words are commonly confused with "under"?
"under" is commonly confused with "user", "undo", "upper". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "under"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "under" is /ˈʌndə/. 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 "under"?
From Middle English under, from Old English under, from Proto-West Germanic *undar, from Proto-Germanic *under, from a merger of Proto-Indo-European *(H)n̥dʰér (“under”) and *h₁entér (“inside”). Akin to German unter, Dutch onder, Danish and Norweg... 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.

Using “under”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is U-N-D-E-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈʌndə/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “user” - see the side-by-side comparison. under vs user
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list