underhand
/ˈʌn.də(ɹ)ˌ(h)ænd/
"underhand" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“underhand” is an uncommon English word, ranked #53,929 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.
- #53,929
- frequency rank, English
- 9
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Secret; clandestine.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | underhand |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /ˈʌn.də(ɹ)ˌ(h)ænd/ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Frequency rank | #53,929 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “underhand” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for underhand is 9 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈʌn.də(ɹ)ˌ(h)ænd/. Corpus data places it at rank #53,929 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
underhand has no tracked misspelling variants, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.
Etymologically, the entry records: From under + hand. The correct English form is underhand, spelled U-N-D-E-R-H-A-N-D.
Definition
- 1Secret; clandestine.
- 2Dishonest and sneaky; done in a secret or sly manner.
- 3Thrown (etc.) with the hand brought forward and up from below.
Etymology
From under + hand.
Synonyms
This word in other languages
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 “underhand”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is U-N-D-E-R-H-A-N-D - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈʌn.də(ɹ)ˌ(h)ænd/ (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.