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” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #180. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#180
frequency rank, English
1,433
“U” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
14
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Beneath; below; at or to the bottom of, or the area covered or surmounted by.

Corpus desk

Index EN-under · under · English

under · rank #180 · 7 variants · 14 confusables

  • FREQ-CORE #180
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 14 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,433
  • PHOTO-FINISH things

Nearest frequency peer: things (-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 “under”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “under” 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).

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)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “under”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).underlands 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 “things” (#179), “during” (#181), “own” (#178). Among 1,433 “U” headwords, “under” is #180. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around under (IPA /ˈʌndə/), apreposition. Corpus frequency is #180 among 1,433 “U” headwords. Wiktionary lists 9 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

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.).

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. We found some shade under a tree.
  2. Quick, stuff the cash under the mattress!

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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "under", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

thing#184since#175house#186place#187

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

little7 variantsbetter7 variantsfound7 variantsstate7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list