underarm
/ˈʌndɚˌɑɹm/
"underarm" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“underarm” is an uncommon English word, ranked #61,190 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #61,190
- frequency rank, English
- 8
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The armpit.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | underarm |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈʌndɚˌɑɹm/ |
| Letters | 8 |
| Frequency rank | #61,190 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “underarm” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for underarm is 8 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈʌndɚˌɑɹm/. Corpus data places it at rank #61,190 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
No misspelling variants are generated for underarm in our index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.
Etymologically, the entry records: From under- + arm. The armpit sense is not old, historically speaking (1920s), and it is believed to have arisen as a euphemism in advertising. The correct English form is underarm, spelled U-N-D-E-R-A-R-M.
Definition
- 1The armpit.
- 2Old-fashioned and now outlawed style of bowling in which the arm is not swung over the shoulder.
Etymology
From under- + arm. The armpit sense is not old, historically speaking (1920s), and it is believed to have arisen as a euphemism in advertising.
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
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Using “underarm”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is U-N-D-E-R-A-R-M - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈʌndɚˌɑɹm/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- 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.