underestimate
/ʌndɚˈɛs.tɪ.meɪt/verb, noun
underestimate is spelled U-N-D-E-R-E-S-T-I-M-A-T-E: 13 letters and 5 syllables. It appears 4.9 times per million words in written English, the 11,373rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, underestimate means “To estimate too low; to perceive (someone or something) as having a lower value, quantity, worth, etc., than what he/she/it actually has” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in underestimate?
| Letters | 13: U-N-D-E-R-E-S-T-I-M-A-T-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 5 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 4.9 times per million words; the 11,373rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
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).
How common is underestimate?
Underestimate appears 4.9 times per million words in written English, the 11,373rd 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 underestimate?
- US /ʌndɚˈɛs.tɪ.meɪt/
As a noun (“An estimate that is too low”): /ʌndɚˈɛs.tɪ.mɪt/, /ʌndɚˈɛs.tɪ.mət/.
Underestimate has 5 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)-Vealhurl-underestimate.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-underestimate2.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of underestimate
- underestimates present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- underestimating participle, present
- underestimated participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does underestimate mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To estimate too low; to perceive (someone or something) as having a lower value, quantity, worth, etc., than what he/she/it actually has.
- 2
To perceive or expect (someone or something) to be less significant or difficult than it actually is.
I totally underestimated the task.
noun
- 1
An estimate that is too low.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Underestimate in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | sous-estimer , sous-estimation |
| German | unterschätzen , Unterschätzung |
| Portuguese | menosprezar, subestimar, fazer pouco |
| Spanish | subestimar |
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 underestimate come from?
From under- + estimate.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).