underage

/ˌʌndəɹˈeɪd͡ʒ/

//ˌʌndəɹˈeɪd͡ʒ// adj

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

"underage" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“underage” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #15,727. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#15,727
frequency rank, English
1,433
“U” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Below the legal age (usually age 18) for some activity, such as consuming alcohol or engaging in sexual intercourse.

Corpus desk

Index EN-underage · underage · English

underage · rank #15,727 · 11 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #15,727
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,433
  • PHOTO-FINISH unbearable

Nearest frequency peer: unbearable (-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 “underage”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “underage” 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).

underage vs undergo
75% similar
underage vs underlie
75% similar
underage vs undertake
78% similar

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

Key facts for underage
PropertyValue
Headwordunderage
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˌʌndəɹˈeɪd͡ʒ/
Letters8
Frequency rank#15,727
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “underage”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).underagelands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “unbearable” (#15,726), “unleashed” (#15,728), “twisting” (#15,725). Among 1,433 “U” headwords, “underage” is #15,727. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around underage (IPA /ˌʌndəɹˈeɪd͡ʒ/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #15,727 among 1,433 “U” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for underage, with forms such as "nuderage", "udnerage", and "undderage". 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 3 confusable-pair relationships, "undergo", "underlie", "undertake", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From under- + age. The correct English form is underage, spelled U-N-D-E-R-A-G-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Below the legal age (usually age 18) for some activity, such as consuming alcohol or engaging in sexual intercourse.
  2. 2
    Not yet a legal adult; still a minor.
  3. 3
    Limited to players below a certain age; junior.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. underage drinking
  2. underage marriage

Etymology

From under- + age.

Synonyms

minor

This word in other languages

mineur(Français)minderjährig(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • nuderage
  • udnerage
  • undderage
  • undearge
  • underaeg
  • underagge
  • undergae
  • underrage
  • undreage
  • unedrage
  • unnderage

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

nuderage2udnerage2undderage1undearge2underaeg2underagge1undergae2underrage1
Edit distance from "underage"

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 "underage"?
"underage" is spelled U-N-D-E-R-A-G-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌʌndəɹˈeɪd͡ʒ/.
What does "underage" mean?
As an adjective, "underage" means: Below the legal age (usually age 18) for some activity, such as consuming alcohol or engaging in sexual intercourse.
What words are commonly confused with "underage"?
"underage" is commonly confused with "undergo", "underlie", "undertake". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "underage"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "underage" is /ˌʌndəɹˈeɪd͡ʒ/. 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 "underage"?
From under- + age. 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 "underage", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

twisting#15,725throttle#15,718thatcher#15,717afforded#15,742

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

unmarried11 variantsstuffing11 variantsstarved11 variantsspitting11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list