undergo

/ˌʌndɚˈɡoʊ/

//ˌʌndɚˈɡoʊ// verb

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

"undergo" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“undergo” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #9,552. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#9,552
frequency rank, English
1,433
“U” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To experience; to pass through a phase.

Corpus desk

Index EN-undergo · undergo · English

undergo · rank #9,552 · 10 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #9,552
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,433
  • PHOTO-FINISH temper

Nearest frequency peer: temper (-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 “undergo”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “undergo” 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).

undergo vs under
71% similar
undergo vs underage
75% similar
undergo vs underdog
75% similar

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

Key facts for undergo
PropertyValue
Headwordundergo
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˌʌndɚˈɡoʊ/
Letters7
Frequency rank#9,552
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “undergo”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).undergolands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “temper” (#9,551), “Venus” (#9,553), “taxation” (#9,550). Among 1,433 “U” headwords, “undergo” is #9,552. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around undergo (IPA /ˌʌndɚˈɡoʊ/), averb. Corpus frequency is #9,552 among 1,433 “U” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for undergo, with forms such as "nudergo", "udnergo", and "unddergo". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 3 confusable-pair relationships, "under", "underage", "underdog", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English undergon, from Old English undergān (“to undergo, undermine, ruin”), equivalent to under- + go. Cognate with Dutch ondergaan (“to undergo, perish, sink”), German untergehen (“to perish, sink, undergo”), Swedish undergå (“to undergo, go t… The correct English form is undergo, spelled U-N-D-E-R-G-O.

Definition

  1. 1
    To experience; to pass through a phase.
  2. 2
    To suffer or endure; bear with.
  3. 3
    To go or move under or beneath.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The project is undergoing great changes.
  2. Many of these classic methods are still used, with some modern improvements. For example, with the aid of special microphones and automated sound detection software, ornithologists recently reported […] that pine siskins (Spinus pinus) undergo an irregular, nomadic type of nocturnal migration.

Etymology

From Middle English undergon, from Old English undergān (“to undergo, undermine, ruin”), equivalent to under- + go. Cognate with Dutch ondergaan (“to undergo, perish, sink”), German untergehen (“to perish, sink, undergo”), Swedish undergå (“to undergo, go through”).

This word in other languages

experimentar(Español)subir(Français)durchmachen(Deutsch)experienciar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • nudergo
  • udnergo
  • unddergo
  • undegro
  • underggo
  • underog
  • underrgo
  • undrego
  • unedrgo
  • unndergo

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of undergo - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

nudergo2udnergo2unddergo1undegro2underggo1underog2underrgo1undrego2
Edit distance from "undergo"

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 "undergo"?
"undergo" is spelled U-N-D-E-R-G-O. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌʌndɚˈɡoʊ/.
What does "undergo" mean?
As a verb, "undergo" means: To experience; to pass through a phase.
What words are commonly confused with "undergo"?
"undergo" is commonly confused with "under", "underage", "underdog". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "undergo"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "undergo" is /ˌʌndɚˈɡoʊ/. 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 "undergo"?
From Middle English undergon, from Old English undergān (“to undergo, undermine, ruin”), equivalent to under- + go. Cognate with Dutch ondergaan (“to undergo, perish, sink”), German untergehen (“to perish, sink, undergo”), Swedish undergå (“to und... 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 "undergo", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

weighed#9,554aligned#9,560spoiled#9,544Solomon#9,541

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

obesity10 variantsnarrator10 variantsexplode10 variantsfilthy10 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list