underage
/ˌʌndəɹˈeɪd͡ʒ/adjective, noun
underage is spelled U-N-D-E-R-A-G-E: 8 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 3.0 times per million words in written English, the 15,613th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, underage means “Below the legal age (usually age 18 or 21) for some activity, such as consuming alcohol or engaging in sexual intercourse” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in underage?
| Letters | 8: U-N-D-E-R-A-G-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 3.0 times per million words; the 15,613th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is underage?
Underage appears 3.0 times per million words in written English, the 15,613th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce underage?
- /ˌʌndəɹˈeɪd͡ʒ/
As a noun (“A deficit or shortfall in funds, inventory, or capacity”): /ˈʌndəɹɪd͡ʒ/.
Underage has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Flame,_not_lame-underage.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with underage?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as underage.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: dungaree.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of underage
- under age
- underages plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does underage mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Below the legal age (usually age 18 or 21) for some activity, such as consuming alcohol or engaging in sexual intercourse.
underage drinking
- 2
Not yet a legal adult; still a minor.
underage offender
- 3
IrelandLimited to players below a certain age; junior.
noun
- 1
A deficit or shortfall in funds, inventory, or capacity.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate underage?
Wiktionary records one abbreviation of underage: UA.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Underage in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense below legal age:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | mineur |
| German | minderjährig |
| Portuguese | menor |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does underage come from?
From under- + age.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).